Fighters
by rowanred81
Summary: Character design references can be found in the Tumblr works of Inganah (Punk Max w/pink hair) and Kunaike (Kickboxer Chloe). For full explanation as to why this story is over, look up "The True End of Fighters" on my Tumblr. Hate mail/reviews will result in blocking.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome To Paradise**

 **Song by Green Day**

 **NOTE – The release of this story will not affect the timeline I set for the final chapter of "Intersecting Worlds, Interconnected Hearts". I just finished this chapter before the other story's.**

The only real light in the fairly-sized room was the small cluster of bulbs that illuminated the ring from above. Old and patched, the canvas on its flooring looked like someone could fall through at any moment and the half the ropes hung slack between the ring posts. Max Caulfield grinned at how much of a dive the place was; she loved every inch of this particular hellhole.

Scratching at her nose, Max rolled her eyes just as quickly as she yanked her hand back. _Don't need another infection_ , Max reminded herself as she remembered what had happened when she had gotten her belly button pierced. _My navel looked like a damn sausage bite from a pizza for a week. Ugh, I do_ not _need a repeat of that shit._ Rachel was supposed to have met her here, but Max had no doubt that her pseudo-friend was chilling out in some haze of pot smoke and too much liquor. Meeting in the foster care system, the two girls had latched onto each other like sisters nearly at first. Taking the role of big sister, Rachel had shown Max the ropes when both girls had ended up with the same foster family.

Max sighed and looked down at her feet as she recalled the memory of her parents' funeral. Victims of a hit and run not even 4 months into their new life in Seattle, her parents' life insurance had paid out to Max only for it to be scooped up and put into a trust that wouldn't be accessible until shortly before her 18th birthday. For nearly five years, Max was run through the system and with each house and shelter she went to and went _through_ Max came out a slightly different person. Patting her camera bag, one of the few things she still had from when her parents were still alive, she could feel the Polaroid camera they had bought for her as a gift when they had settled in. Looking down at her black-nailed hand with a spiked ring on her index finger, Max wondered what her parents would think if they suddenly walked in here now. The idea made her curious as she had not actually thought about them in what felt like forever.

Walking over to the makeshift bar tucked into a corner of the room, Max signaled down the person keeping bar and ordered a beer. When he had asked for ID, Max flashed him a grin and a $20 bill before receiving two beers in exchange. Sipping on one while tucking the other away in her bag, Max ran a hand through her pink hair and rubbed at her tattooed arms to fight the cold in the room.

"S'like a goddamn meat locker. Wowsers and fuck," Max mumbled as she weaved her way through the crowd. Feeling someone grab her ass as she wound through the sea of people, Max reared her foot up and smiled in satisfaction when she felt her steel-toe boot connect with the perpetrator's crotch in a whimper. Looking over to see one of the other patron's laugh at the small outburst of violence from such a little girl, Max saluted him with a small toast of her bottle before tossing back another mouthful of beer into her system. She wanted to get drunk, she wanted to sing and take photos and not give a fuck about anything anymore. Tonight, however, she wanted to watch someone knock the shit of another person.

Finding an open spot along the guardrails that divided the spectators and the participants, Max leaned against the railing and joined in the hollering and howling as the first fight began. Pulling out her Polaroid camera, Max took shot after shot as the two men in the ring went at each other. Street fighting versus what looked to Max like some mix of boxing and breakdancing, the pink-haired punk photographer couldn't help but nearly laugh her ass off as the street fighter caught the pretty boy with an uppercut that actually vaulted the poor guy a couple feet of the mat before he slammed into the old canvas. Noting that the ten-minute timer between rounds started immediately after the street fighter's hand was raised in victory, Max dashed to the restroom and was able to make it just before the line got too long.

Seeing a group of elitist-looking shits cut off a girl sporting a hoodie and athletic shorts, Max caught one of the snobs by the elbow and yanked her around.

"Hey, wait your turn like everyone else!" Max said with her voice raised, getting a nervous look from the girl's friends, "Keep your snotty shit back home."

"Who the fuck are you?!" the other girl asked, her voice laden with hostility as she put a hand to her hip, "I don't know where you come from, street trash, but _I_ throw garbage away. I don't let it tell me what to do."

Unwilling to let the insult slide, this instance not being the first time 'street trash' had been hurled her way, Max stood on her tip-toes and proceeded to pour the remainder of her first beer all over the other girl's head. Watching her turn around with a look of complete shock on her face, Max couldn't help but giggle before she watched a manicured hand curl into a fist. Searching through her bag desperately to find her mace, both girls were frozen in their tracks as a taped hand divided the two of them.

"Can I just go to the damn bathroom without a fight? Please?" the girl in the hoodie, half-pleading and half-agitated. Her face obscured by the hood, Max could only make out some blue hair sticking out.

Watching the trio of snobs quickly back away, Max was about to thank the girl in the hoodie only to be stopped by her rescuer escaping into the restroom. Sighing as the three girls shot her menacing stares, Max smiled at them as she flashed her can of military-grade pepper spray. Half-concealed in her camera bag, Max brandished it just enough that her intended viewers could see the olive drab can and label. Watching them bump into each other as they high-tailed it out of the line, Max snickered as she heard some scattered applause for her actions. Turning around to bow graciously, Max watched the hoodie girl walk past her in silence. Seeing her head into the locker room area, Max put that and her taped hand together to realize she was one of the fighters tonight.

Coming back from the restroom, Max wiped her hands on her torn black jeans as she secured her place along the guardrails for the second match. Checking her phone to see if Rachel had sent her any messages, Max let out a small _humph_ before hearing the next fighters called out to the ring. While the first person seemed rather plain to her, clean-cut and average, the guy's opponent grabbed at Max's attention like nothing she'd felt in years.

Still wearing the hoodie, her face was partially obscured by blue hair as a wide smile played across the girl's lips. Kicking her combat boots off and sliding them out of the ring, the blue-haired girl checked her the tape on her feet before assuming an offensive stance. Max had seen kickboxers fight in the ring before, but this girl looked fierce and beautiful. Everything about her was lean and taut; the blue-haired kickboxer exuded a raw strength that almost seemed too big for her body. _Good Dog, she's hot,_ Max thought appreciatively as the girl began to circle the ring as her opponent did the same.

The guy Max dubbed 'Average Joe' came at the blue-haired girl with a few quick jabs. _Boxer vs kickboxer? Nice._ The girl taking one hit, she blocked the second and dodged the third before snapping a side kick into Joe's chest. Watching him stumble back on his tip-toes, Max laughed as she yelled at him to go back to ballet class.

Laughing harder when she saw Joe glare at her out of the corner of his eye, Max quickly snapped a picture of the moment. _Totally going on my Facebook tonight. What a dork! Don't look at me, look at who you're fighting!_ Max joined the crowd in a collective wince as the blue-haired kickboxer landed a jab into Joe's face, connecting with a spurt of blood gushing out of his face as she promptly followed up with a spinning hook kick. Max's idea of a future in ballet for Average Joe seemed cemented as he spun in the air and landed with a loud _thud_ on the mat.

"The winner is…Blue Storm!" the referee said as he raised the girl's hand in victory, Max putting her fingers in the corners of her mouth to whistle before throwing the winner devil horns. Seeing the girl, her face still obscured by hair and hood, throw the horns back with a devilish grin, Max felt her heart begin to beat rapidly as the buzzer for the ten-minute timer started again.

Leaning across the bar once again, Max was asking if he had any snacks on hand when she saw a familiar hoodie pop up next to her. _Wowsers, she's literally inches from me. Holy shit, not the time to revert to shy mode! Get it together, Max!_

"Water?" the hooded kickboxer asked as she raised a taped hand toward the bartender, a couple $1 bills in her grip. Taking the bills, the bartender offered her a liter-sized bottle of water and the girl snapped the cap off before tossing down almost half the contents of her beverage. Noticing that someone was watching her, the kickboxer took of her hood and looked down at her admirer.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a badass," the blue-haired girl said as she winked at the shocked pink-haired girl, "Uh…you okay? High or something?"

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" the kickboxer asked, puzzled.

"I know I look different Chloe, but so do you and I still recognize your face. Asswipe."

"How do you… _wait._ Wait a goddamn minute," the kickboxer said as she felt own shock coming over herself as well, " _Max_?"

When Max responded with a click of her Polaroid camera, Chloe knew it was Max Caulfield standing before her. _What the fuck?_ This _is Max? My Max, the little girl who played pirates with me and drew comics? Jesus Christ, what happened to you?_ Chloe took a sip of her water as the two girls just stared at each other in shock, the silence broken only as a hand shot out between them and offered the bartender a $5 in exchange for a beer and a single one dollar bill in return.

"Wow, Chloe," Max said as she looked the girl standing before her over, "You look…well, you look awesome." Max scrunched the bridge of her nose as she gave Chloe a huge smile, the previous 4 beers from before she had come to the fight club beginning to take effect.

"You look pretty killer yourself, sista," Chloe said as she checked Max out. _One full sleeve and one half-sleeve, all tricked out in black and blue like an emo-goth kid ready for combat. Still toting around that camera, though. Max Caulfield version 2.0, I guess._ Ruffling up Max's pink hair, Chloe couldn't help but grin at the look of utter delight on her old friend's face.

"Five years did you good, Mad Max. I mean… _damn_ ," Chloe said, nodding in approval as Max responded with flushed cheeks. _New and improved, but still Max. Heh._

"Hey," Max said, hesitant for only a moment, "You got anything else going on tonight?"

"Aside from sleeping in my truck before heading out, no. Why? Gonna show me some nightlife, Max?" Chloe said with a smirk.

"I could, or we could go by the drugstore that is next to my apartment and talk. Five years, Chloe. _Five years_ ," Max said, her levity replaced with a yearning and earnestness that caught Chloe off-guard.

"Uh…well, that is…I mean…," Chloe stammered, scratching at her hair before yanking a black beanie onto her head.

"Chlo, _come on_. I mean, what are the chances we would run into each other _here_? _Tonight_?" Max asked, folding her hands in prayer as she shot her blue eyes into Chloe's dazzling ones, "Pretty please?"

Looking away in thought, Chloe felt mixed emotions that had always risen up in her whenever Max had sprung to mind. _This is different_ , Chloe thought to herself, _She's hella here. Right here, right now. She's totally inviting you to her home, she's letting you in. Just go, jackass._ Looking back at Max, Chloe busted up laughing as Max looked at her from the corner of her eye with a wry smile. _Fucking nerd._

"Alright, Caulfield. Lead on."

Chloe had only been to Seattle twice before tonight, and she had never travelled this far into the city. Trying not to gawk at the lights and buildings, Chloe drove the truck while Max provided directions. _Holy shit, we're fucking pirates again!_ Chloe couldn't help but think to herself with a faint smile. _She's always been a good first mate_.

"So, uh, how much further?" Chloe asked as she glanced over at Max, the other girl signaling for her to turn right.

"My place is actually just around the corner," Max said as she pointed a 24-hour drug store, "See? Drug store. Get you good and medicated."

Chloe didn't know what to make of the wink that followed the statement Max made about getting her medicated, but shrugged nonetheless. Patting at the wad of bills stuffed into her hoodie's pocket, Chloe nodded reassuringly as Max guided her into an old parking lot that was situated in front of a brick apartment building. _Place is old, kinda dumpy looking_ , Chloe thought as she turned her truck off. Grabbing her duffel bag from behind the seat, Chloe slid out of the driver's side as Max followed suit on her end. Making sure that both doors were locked, Chloe slung her duffel bag across her shoulder and gestured Max toward the sidewalk.

"Show me the way, Max," Chloe said cheerfully, waving Max on, "Unless you're too _drunk_ to remember the short distance between yonder drug store and your boudoir.

Max smirked at Chloe in response, laughing as she flipped Chloe off and took her by the hand around the corner. Opening the door to the drug store, Max flipped off the guy at the counter.

"I told you that I didn't want you in here, anymore!" the guy barked, "You're bad for business!"

"Dude, it's fucking 11:30 at night," Max said, snagging gauze and over-the-counter painkillers from the shelf next to her while flipping the cashier off another time, "Besides, I pay every time so it's not like I'm robbing the place. What the hell is there to rob, your magazines from three years ago? Wowsers, _what_ a find."

"Such a brat," Chloe said with a half-hearted sigh as sniggered, "So bratty, Max."

"Such angst. Very mood. So grrl. Wow," Max said back without looking behind her to see Chloe's reaction, tossing random medical supplies into her handbasket before dragging Chloe to the small grocery section, "Load up on foodstuffs?"

"What'd you have in mind?" Chloe asked, eyeing a suspicious-looking back of 'Potatoe Cips'.

Max laughed as she saw what Chloe was looking at, waving the blue-haired girl away from what Max called the 'danger zone' before opening a small ice chest and pulling out a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a two-liter of cherry soda. Displaying her finds to Chloe, Max batted her eyes at the snickering kickboxer before nodding as she brought all of her goodies up to the checkout counter.

"And some pot if you have it," Max said to the cashier with a wink as she leaned up to the counter and smiled playfully, the guy's eyes suddenly darting back and forth in reply, "C'mon, Barty, be my buddy."

"It's Bart, Max, and you _know_ that I hate it when you do this," Bart said as he stuck a hand into one of the pockets in his cargo pants. Pulling out a small black bag, Bart shoved it into Max's outstretched, black-nailed hand only to look even more flustered when she leaned up to his ear and whispered "Thanks. _Barty_."

"Mad game, Max. Mad fucking game," Chloe said as she looked at the pint-sized rebel with a feeling of mild admiration. This was not the girl she remembered, but there was something familiar and endearing about the woman Max had become. _She's fearless, but there's still a shyness in her eyes_. _Like the rebel protects the shy geek inside. Not that I can say anything, I'm just as bad in my own way_ , Chloe thought as she clenched her free hand in front of her face.

"I have my moments," Max said as she spun around while they headed toward her building, a large smile on her face and her eyes alight with a twinkle that nearly made Chloe gulp, "Buuuut, he's not really my type."

"Oh? Looked kind cute to me. What's got you so turned off from him?" Chloe asked, getting to be curious about someone else's love life for a change rather than the opposite. _No, Mom. I don't know when I will meet someone._ No, _Mom, I don't know if can make me happy. Oh, and by the way, I like girls! Hella shit, Mom, just leave me the fuck be!_

"A lady never tells" Max said, her face once more flush as it was Chloe's turn to have her eyes become alight. _Holy shit. Is Max gay? Holy fucking shit._

"Chloe? Chloe, you okay? Oh Dog, do you have a concussion?" Max asked when Chloe didn't say anything, playfulness and jokes turning into seriousness and observation.

"Huh? I don't think so," Chloe said as she rubbed at the back of her head, looking away so as to not see the heartwarming concern on Max's face, "I just spaced out."

"Well, we're here so it's cool," Max said as she opened the door to the old brick building's hallway.

Dimly lit by a winking fluorescent bulb in the ceiling, Chloe thought the place looked somewhat shoddy. A few scraps of paper discarded on the floor here and there, it was obvious that nobody really came to clean all that often. Chloe tried to fathom how someone like Max could live in a dive like this. _It's been five years, sure, but_ here _? What the fuck happened to you, Max? The ink, the piercings, the whole shtick – I see you in there but it's like you're hiding from the world._

Collecting her mail from a brass-doored mailbox, Max slid a stack of letters and junk mail into her camera bag as she motioned for Chloe to follower her down into the basement floor. Minding her step to avoid a random slice of pizza on the stairway landing, Max walked down the dingy stairs with a faint smile on her face as Chloe closely followed. Stopping at the second door to the left, Max handed Chloe her camera bag so that she could find her keys. _Oh crap. Don't tell me I left them in the apartment. I could have sworn…wait…oh, got 'em_! Max thought as she sighed in relief. Pulling out a ring of keys, Max separated three of them from the rest of the small bundle and began to systematically unlock her apartment door.

" _Three_ locks, Max? You have something pricey inside, or just hella paranoid?" Chloe mused with a tone that sounded to Max like curiosity and sarcasm.

"Like I'd tell you, 'Random Person I Met at a Fight Club'," Max chirped as she unlocked the second deadbolt, "I'd say ladies first but I don't actually see any ladies around. Still, after you."

Handing Max her camera bag back, Chloe smirked at Max and walked inside. _This is, well, kinda cool. Color me fucking surprised_ , Chloe couldn't help but think to herself as she examined the interior of Max's apartment while Max took the shopping bags and tossed them over on the bed. A one-room studio apartment, the space itself was maybe as large as the dining area and living room of her house back in Arcadia Bay. Brick-walled, there was jagged scraps of wallpaper, posters, and photos decorating the apartment in haphazard style. A bed sitting in the corner with a kitchenette across the small space, there was a bathroom in a small room in the back of the apartment. No windows, the only light coming from a bedside lamp that had been on when they came in. Chloe wondered how long Max had lived here.

"Take a seat," Max said nonchalantly as she began to lay out the medical supplies, "Feeling concussed yet? No, Chloe, sit over her at the bed."

Chloe got up from the single chair near the television and moved to where Max was located. Starting to feel the rush of adrenaline wearing off, Chloe couldn't help but feel a little dizzy as she sat down. _Is it from the fight, or from finding Max and her suddenly being inches away from me right now? Meh, s'probably both._ Wincing as she felt an alcohol swab pressed against a small cut on her jawline, Chloe came out of the mental fog to watch Max tend to her wounds. _Where did she learn about all this_? _Where…wait, where are her parents?_

"Max?" Chloe asked, catching Max's attention with the trepidation in her voice.

"Mmm?" Max asked, shifting her gaze from Chloe's face and back down to the split knuckles on Chloe's right hand. Satisfied with her job cleaning the wound, Max gently placed a strip of gauze over the knuckles of Chloe's right hand before wrapping medical tape around the area.

"…What happened to you?" Chloe asked, pausing because she wanted to ask in greater detail and the question was the first thing that floated to mind. Seeing the look in Max's face change, Chloe went to place a hand on Max's cheek only for the girl to brush the gesture away as she stood up.

"…I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch, Chloe," Max said, Chloe picking up on the emotional strain in her old friend's voice, "It's…it's been a rough time, being here in Seattle. I know that my family and I took off not even a week after William passed away…"

"Why _didn't_ you ever call, or get in touch with me at all?" Chloe asked, old memories and feelings coming up from where Chloe drew out animosity she used in fighting. "My…my dad died and you just disappeared-"

"My parents _died_ , Chloe."

Chloe felt her blood turn to ice, her body stiffening from the shock of what Max said and the casual way in which she had said it hit Chloe in the heart with the impact of one of her own kicks. Max stayed quiet, standing and facing away from Chloe, waiting for the blue-haired girl's response.

"They…they died? God, Max! Why didn't you tell me? You could have come to Arcadia Bay! You know my mom would have-" Chloe said, rising to her feet as she felt a flood of mixed emotions in her give way to a deep-seated grief. _I lost Dad, but holy fuck. She lost…she lost everything._ "Where have you been, Max? This place, the way you dress and act, it isn't you."

"…You don't really know _me_ , Chloe," Max murmured, her voice devoid of emotion as she turned to look at Chloe, "I spent over four years in and out of foster homes. Some were nice, some were shit, but I was an outsider in each of them. My things were either stolen or pawned off. My camera bag and the camera you saw are really all that's left of my things from before, the Max from _before_. I only have this place because I work at a coffee shop during the day and I finally got access to the trust containing my parents' life insurance. It's not much, and I'm saving the majority of it for school, so beggars can't be fucking choosers. It's a roof and walls, which is better than some of the places I've crashed."

"Max…I…I'm sorry," Chloe said, walking over to put a hand on the pink-haired girl's shoulder. Feeling Max squeeze with one of her own black-nailed hands in return, Chloe spun the shorter girl around and pulled Max into a tight hug. "I…I really wish you would've called. I've spent years being a sad sack of bullshit, angry at everyone who bailed on me when one of the most important people in my life was going through…Max, I'm so sorry."

"S-So am I…," Max whispered, pushing her face into the chest of Chloe's hoodie as she fought back the tears that wanted to come pouring out. _No. I will not cry. I will_ not _fucking cry_. _I didn't cry when my hair was cut, when my clothes were stolen, when my camera was nearly pawned off. Fuck this. I don't cry anymore_.

Pushing herself away from Chloe, Max gave the other girl a weak smile before she went to her camera bag. Pulling out the extra beer, Max went to her mini-fridge and pulled out another beer. Handing the refrigerated bottle to Chloe, Max pried the cap off her own brew and lifted it up in a toast.

"To strange fucking coincidences," Max said before taking a long drink.

Chloe just watched Max, dumbfounded, before the pink-haired girl looked at her while her head was still tilted up. Seeing Max eye her in confusion, Chloe quickly took a drink of the beer she had been given and felt a pleasant sensation as the alcohol entered her system. _After tonight, I hella deserve this_ , Chloe thought as she quirked an eyebrow at Max and continued to drink. Max flipped Chloe off with her free hand and began to chug her beer down, an impromptu drinking contest started between the two. Slamming her beer down on the bedside table with an exaggerated "Ahhh!", Max looked at Chloe with a look of triumph as the bluenette was beaten by only a few seconds.

Max didn't want to talk about what happened; she just wanted to enjoy seeing the girl she had left in Arcadia Bay, now returned to her for a night that had proven fun so far. Apologizing for that being the only other beer she had, Max offered Chloe some soda and pulled out the weed she had purchased. Yanking a bong out from under her bed, Max set everything up as she let Chloe talk on about her own life. _Stepdouche? That's pretty funny. At least it sounds like Joyce is happy, though I doubt Chloe ever is when you think about how she sounds. I_ can _believe she got kicked out of school, though. Having a kickboxers with a chip on her shoulder walking around campus was bound to end badly. I wish Rachel were here. She'd be loving this. Then again, I like having Chlo to myself…_

"So you're still in school?" Chloe asked as she took a sip of her cherry soda, "Man, I wish I hadn't fucked up so royally at Blackwell. I have hella skills, dude."

"What, aside from being a future mercenary? Stuntwoman, maybe?" Max teased, a few drops of soda dribbling down her chin as she smiled while drinking her own soft drink.

"Ha _ha_ , asswipe. No, I'm…I'm good at drawing. Illustrations and all that. I designed my tattoo, dude." Taking her hoodie off, Max looked away for a moment as all Chloe was wearing underneath was a sports bra. "Oh. Sorry, Max. Lemme go change."

"S-Sure," Max said, cussing under her breath when Chloe closed the door to the small bathroom. _When did the stuttering flare back up? When Chloe showed up,_ duh _. Real smooth, Caulfield._

Max's head shot up as she was alerted to a noise coming from the hallway outside her door. Reaching into her camera bag, Max grabbed her pepper spray and cautiously looked through the peephole to see Rachel Amber leaning against the opposite wall while making out with some random guy.

"Maaaax?" Rachel asked between kisses, "Can we come in? C'mon! Let me in, sweetie!"

"I told you not to bring anyone to my place again, Rachel! This is so not cool, so no you may _not_ come in!" Max shouted through the door, not noticing Chloe coming out of the bathroom to listen in on the conversation.

"Awww, Sis, I promise I will behave this time…," Rachel pleaded, tearing herself away from the boy she was with to give Max puppy eyes through the peephole.

"No dice, Rachel. You know I love you, but I actually have someone here and there's no room. No room, no joy," Max said before walking away from the door, seeing Chloe look on in amusement as they both heard a "Pfft, fine. Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow" as Rachel's voice faded back up the stairs.

"'Sis'?" Chloe asked, trying not to laugh at what she had just heard, "Your 'sis' sounds pretty fucked up, Max."

"Yeah. Rachel and I ended up in some of the same places over the years. We actually hated each other at first, but we ended up bonding and we're pretty much sisters at this point. She's a pain in the ass, but she's apparently _my_ pain in the ass. I have exclusivity. Great, right?" Max's question was so laden with sarcasm that Chloe didn't couldn't figure out if Max actually liked the girl she called Rachel or not. Shrugging, Chloe decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"So, back to you and school. You doing okay?" Chloe asked, sitting back down on the bed as Max opted to lean against the back of her solitary chair.

"Yeah. Surprising, huh, considering my shithole of a place. I'm in an online homeschool type of deal, but I need to get into a _real_ school before I graduate so that I can nail down a college after. I'm looking into some schools for my senior year coming this fall, and I've got a few still on my list," Max said, getting excited as she thought about leaving her dingy place for an actual college campus.

"You should fucking come back to Arcadia Bay, go to Blackwell. You still into photography?" Chloe asked, seeing Max nod in reply, "They've got a great program for that shit. You'd ace it."

"Something to think about, I guess. I'm just so used to Seattle. Never thought about going back to Arcadia Bay. Hey, Chloe, is it okay if we call it a night. I've got an early shift tomorrow and I could use some sleep," Max said, stretching as she saw Chloe nod in return.

Taking off her clothes until she was only in her t-shirt and boxers, Max slid into her bed and pressed herself against the wall. Patting the open space with her hand, Max kept doing it until Chloe reluctantly slid in next to Max. Feeling the pink-haired girl's small arms wrap around her waist, Chloe felt her cheeks flush as Max pressed her face into the back of Chloe's shoulder.

"Sleepover!" Max whispered with a giggle, her tone drowsy. Seeing the smile on Max's face as she slept when she turned her head, Chloe couldn't help but feel a copy of that same smile come across her own face as she closed her eyes. _She's still Max Caulfield_ was Chloe's last thought before she joined Max in slumber.

Waking up from the sound of her phone's alarm, Max smacked her hand against the bedside table a few times before realizing that the sound was emanating from her camera bag. Sliding out of bed, Max stumbled over to her chair and shoved her hand into the bag draped across her chair. Switching off the alarm, Max looked around in confusion for a moment before she realized that Chloe was gone. Pouting at the disappearance, Max saw a hastily scribbled note tacked to the door of her mini-fridge.

 _Sorry I ducked out. If I don't get back by a certain time, stepdouche won't let up on me and I don't need to be homeless because I could hella break his face. Hope to see you again. I missed you. Chloe._

Reading the note to herself a couple more times, Max's crestfallen expression turned to sly grin as she walked back over to her bed. Opening the drawer for her bedside table, Max searched through the cluster of random junk and photos until she found a neatly-preserved letter that had been carefully opened. Pulling the letter out as she sat on her bed, Max unfolded it with a slow pleasure as she read it to herself.

"…on your acceptance to Blackwell Academy and another congratulations on your winning our yearly scholarship….we look forward to seeing you this coming Fall term…take time to familiarize yourself with the town of Arcadia Bay, your new home away from home…," Max read aloud in a low voice, the smile on her lips growing with each sentence she read before putting the letter next to her and falling into her bed, "Getting your wish, Chloe. See you soon."

 **Author's Note – The idea behind this was already partly in my head, but it was cemented by the fanart from Tumblr users Inganah and Kunaike. If you've read my other stories then you know I like the idea of a more confident Max. Playing through the game so much, I really started to get upset over Max not standing up for herself. As a result, all of my stories feature a Max that is still like she in the game, only with more of a backbone. That said, this is probably the furthest departure from her established characterization I've done thus far and that is including the vampire AU.**

 _ **This**_ **is the start of my next AU series, so feedback is appreciated as usual. The chapter length will be more accommodating for the research I have to do for my Master's Degree, and I can't tell you how long this will run because I honestly do not know. Each story has been something of an experiment – "Rebel Girl" was my breaking back into creative fiction and each story has been a succession in broadening those old muscles.**

 **Hope you come along for this particular ride!**

 **Read, review, and I will see you in Chapter 2!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**

 **PS - because someone was confused, let me state that Max was worried about scratching her nose piercing _because_ her navel piercing got infected from her messing with it. That said, I thought I made all that relatively clear without having to directly spell it out. *shrugs***


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome Home**

 **Song by Coheed and Cambria**

Packing up isn't all that hard when most of your life can fit into one suitcase, one backpack, and an old camera bag. Her summer winding down, Max laid back on the bed in her room at the American Hotel Hostel as she vaped. Leaving a post-it note on her apartment with 'For Rachel', Max had packed her clothes, laptop, camera, and other small oddities before she had left her dump of an apartment behind. _Won't miss the mildew smell after it rains. Honest to Dog, I will_ totally _not miss that one damn bit._ Scratching at her freshly dyed pink hair, Max closed her eyes and waited for the salvia she had been puffing at to kick in. In four hours she'd be on a bus, and in a little under a day she would be…

"'Home' sounds hella weird," Max said to herself as she sat back up and turned her vape off. Pulling her hood on as the ceiling light hit her right in the eyes, Max played with her tongue piercing as she pulled out her cell phone. She had splurged with her new cash flow, ditching her old phone and laptop for newish models. The laptop was a refurb, though a recent model. The phone was the nicest bit, brand spanking new. Having bought it only earlier that very morning, Max had spent the past few hours waiting for the device to charge off her laptop while her music loaded. Scrolling through her full library, Max smirked as a message balloon popped up from Chloe.

 **Chloe: dude where u at?**

 **Max: ?**

 **Chloe: Just checking. U said u were getting a new phone**

 **Max: very true. Bravo on ur deduction skills**

 **Chloe: smartass**

 **Max: my ass IS pretty smart, thx**

 **Max: imagine how smart my BRAIN is**

 **Chloe: ugh**

 **Chloe: u free up there next weekend?**

 **Max: sry moving today**

 **Max: don't know when I'll be free**

 **Chloe: oh**

 **Max: y'know, getting to talk to u is nice but GIVE ME UR DAMN NUMBER THIS FB CHAT IS BS AND GIVE ME UR DAMN NUMBER ALREADY**

 **Chloe: wehhhhh, she's yelling at me wehhhhhhh**

 **Max: Oh FU U fucker**

 **Max: gotta get shit ready**

 **Max: c u ltr**

Switching her phone to call mode, she dialed up a number she had divined through the blessed directory online. Hearing the phone ring a few times, Max smiled when she heard a voice that was both new and familiar.

"Yes? She's still upstairs. Not the best idea, hun, not if you want tomorrow to still be a surprise," Joyce Price said with a small chuckle as Max couldn't help but grin, "Y'know, Chloe gave me a pretty detail description of how you've changed. The lil' brunette girl William and I cooked for on sleepovers still there?"

"Oh, I'm still here…somewhere. I'm coming for you and your killer pancakes." Max snickered as she heard Joyce stifle a laugh as booted feet echoed through their connection, Max hearing a "Mom, I'm headed out to train. Don't do anything I would do!" before the sound of a door closing was heard.

"…Okay, Max, so are we laying out your 'master plan' again?" Max heard Joyce ask.

"You know, I _could_ just be calling to say hello…"

"Uh-huh. Well, I have to get headed to work, Pinky. I will see you at Two Whales tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, and I will come bearing gifts of dollars in exchange for food-like items," Max said only for her stomach to growl at the idea of a Belgian waffle from Two Whales. _Wowsers, down girl! You get your nosh soon enough. Savor the wait._

Hearing Joyce hang up, Max switched her phone off and tried to decide between a nap and another exploration of the hostel. Renting a private room, Max had spent the past three days in her pleasantly-clean digs but was antsy to get moving. Receiving an email from her 'sponsor' at Blackwell, Max felt a slight nudge of guilt at how she was ditching the genuinely sweet girl that was supposed to do her orientation. Thankfully, Kate Marsh was understanding and had just rescheduled for the following Sunday. _She really does seem nice. I could definitely use a friend when I get there; I just hope she doesn't get turned off by, well,_ me _._ Max felt sleep start to slowly ebb its way into the recesses of her brain when someone pounded on her door.

"Max Caulfield! You lemme in _now_ ," Rachel Amber said in a terse voice as she thumped her fist against the door, "Time meow!"

"What are you, part bloodhound? Fuck!" Max cried out from the bed as she begrudgingly rose to her feet and walked over to the door. Unlocking it, Max smiled at her irritated friend and pulled the long-haired girl into her room before shutting it. "You just _now_ show up? I've texted you every day I've been here! I actually said that I wished you were here out loud when I was using the communal showers last night. No, Rach, don't give me _that_ look! It's not like I'm moving to Antarctica! You can totally come down and visit!"

"…But who'll be my bud bud?" Rachel asked with a pout as she pulled herself into Max's arms, the girls wrapping each other up in a hug.

"Of course, you're worried about who you can crash with when you're high," Max shook her head as she rolled her eyes, Rachel picking up on the building irritation in the pink-haired girl.

"You _know_ I'm teasing, Maxie, so _no_ giving me shit. Not today. Seriously," Rachel pushed herself out of Max's hug enough so that she could lean her forehead against her sister's, "Imma miss you somethin' fierce, Caulfield."

Cupping Rachel's cheek in her hand, Max kissed the girl on the forehead before she pulled her angel of the past four years into the clean bed with her. Both girls kicking off their boots, the snuggled up against each other with Max setting her phone for three hours.

"You're going to spend your last hours in Seattle sleeping with me?" Rachel asked, choking back a sniffle.

"Of course, Rach. Who else would I spend it with?" Max asked with a grin as she kissed the top of her friend's head.

"…Good point."

Rachel had seen her off hours later, both girls trying to look tough in the crowded bus station only to burst into a fit of punk-infused tears. Seeing that they were becoming the subject of a curious bus driver, _Thank Dog he's not mine_ , Max pulled Rachel in for a kiss while flipping off the driver. Realizing that he had been caught, the driver coughed audibly and shuffled away nervously.

"Whew, lemme breathe!" Rachel said as she pulled away from Max with a laugh, seeing the blush on Max's cheek, "D'awww, Maxie surprise herself?"

"S-Shut the fuck up, Rach. It's literally like kissing my sister. Guy was just a jerkface and I wanted him to kinda lose his shit," Max said, giving Rachel a playful shove, "Besides, you _know_ you liked it."

"Good thing you're not _too_ high on yourself, Max."

"Why should I be high on myself? S'what my vape is for."

" _Ugh_."

Having been on the road now for hours, Max looked out her window as woods and waterfront crossed by her vision while she sped along in the bus. Looking around quickly to ensure that she wasn't being watched, especially thankful that the back seat had been unoccupied, Max pulled her vape out of her hoodie pocket and took a quick puff. Blowing the vapor down towards her feet, Max waved at the small cloud before securing her vape and letting her mind drift. Thinking of all the fun she'd had with Chloe was nice, but it came with a huge lump of pain for Max. For every great memory she had of Arcadia Bay, a double-whammy of missing her parents and all the things she'd been put through over the past four years hit her twice as hard. _The closer I got to today, the more they pop up. Five years later and I still can't decide to love them or hate 'em._

Max knew it was stupid to hate people for dying, but they were _her parents_. Forgiveness didn't come cheap when it came to Max, not anymore. She had physical and emotional scars to prove that, both as the forgiver and the one seeking to be forgiven. _Shit-hole One, the lovely Morgan family. Dude fucking sold half my shit while I was at school. Pretentious assholes, looking all cookie-cutter Americana while they dismembered my life. Asshats paid for it when I smashed their son's face in after he tried to cop a feel. Got sent back into the system, but totally worth it._ Max had spent her first six months with that family before she found herself in what she called the 'shithead shuffle'.

Not realizing that she had nodded off, Max looked up and wiped at an eye as she saw a sight that nearly made her jaw drop. The lighthouse on the outskirts of Arcadia Bay was visible in the distance, a pillar of white emanating a soft glow from its pinnacle. Pulling out her Polaroid camera, Max loaded up some film and took a couple shots of the structure. Surrounded from all sides by trees, Max thought it looked like some ancient temple in the midst of an even older forest. _Wowsers. I'm actually here. Holy shit!_ The bus driving through the Arcadia Bay town limits, Max whipped her phone out and called Joyce hurriedly.

"Did ya fall asleep or somethin', Max?" Joyce asked, Max practically _hearing_ the smile in the voice of Chloe's mother.

"As a matter-of-fact…she didn't take off, did she?" Max asked, worry seeping out as she feared her surprise would epically fail before it had even had a chance to start.

"Relax. She's still upstairs. She's giving me a ride to work. David had to head in early to train some of the new additions to Blackwell's security and I offered Chloe a free breakfast at the diner. You still gonna want Belgian waffles?"

"Hella yes!" Max said excitedly, mouthing _What?_ At an elderly man sitting across and a few rows ahead of her, "What's so funny?"

"Chloe says that all the time. 'Hella', heh."

"I'll fight her for it!"

"You'll lose. She told me you've been to every match she's had in Seattle since your ran into each other back in June. Max, I can't tell you how glad I am that you two found each other again. I haven't seen her smile in so long, but she always has one on her face when she comes back from staying the night with you. No funny business, right?"

"I swear I have been up to no good…I mean, I swear I haven't-"

"Alright, smartass. Well, I'm going to get her downstairs. I'll see you soon, lookit this new Max for m'self."

"Heh."

The bus came to a stop outside the Arcadia Bay Tourist Center, dropping off everyone and their luggage across from the train station. Thinking that maybe the train would have been better as she cracked her neck and shoulders, Max swung her arms around in slow circles as she waited for the local bus to come by. Yanking the hood off her head, Max grabbed a beanie out of her camera bag and pulled it on. Stuffing her hair into the hat, Max pulled out her phone to use as a makeshift mirror. Satisfied that her pink locks were adequately hidden, Max swapped her black and pink stripped hoodie for a plain gray one and removed the rings and bracelets from her hands. _Such clever, Max. Clearly, I am the spy of all spies_. _I'm such a nerd, I fucking swear._

Seeing the bus roll towards her, Max gathered her things and was very thankful when a familiar looking girl came down the steps in the bus and helped Max with her luggage.

"Wow. You're just as nice in person as in your emails. Bonus," Max's words earning her a giggle from the cheerful Kate Marsh as the climbed into their seats, "Introductions! Hey, I'm Max."

"Kate, but that's pretty obvious on both accounts, Max," Kate replied, grinning as she shyly took Max's offered hand and shook it, "Wow, you're very…pierced. Are those…are those tattoos coming out of your hoodie sleeve…?"

Seeing Kate's eyes widen, Max snickered and unzipped her disguise hoodie. Pulling it off for a moment, Max flashed her finished sleeve and half sleeve that the innocent-looking Kate only to laugh as Kate's jaw dropped a little more when Max stuck her tongue out to show Kate her newest piercing.

"Dude, you get fazed _way_ too easily!" Max roared as she folded over in laughter before seeing the sheepish look on Kate's face, "Aww, I'm not making fun of you Kate. It's just been a while since I've met someone so, well, sweet. You're being really nice to me and I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Oh. Well, I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't expect so much body art but they actually look cool. What's on the…is it called a sleeve…?"

"It is, and it's a collection of different images. A winding tree branch that curls around my arm, see? Birds, butterflies, flower blossoms perched in various areas with a wolf and moon up top."

"What about the other arm?"

"It's the bushido code and lines from some poetry I like." Max looked at Kate quizzically as the other girl peered at her half-sleeve. "What?"

"…Bushido code?"

"Ah. The seven virtues of Bushido, the Way of the Samurai," Max said as she pointed at the top of the vertical line of _kanji_ , "Gi, Rei, Yu, Meiyo, Jin, Makoto, and Chu. In English, they're integrity, respect, courage, honor, compassion, honesty, and loyalty."

"Whoa…," Kate said, getting an amused grin from Max as she gave the new girl a stupefied look while Max put her hoodie back on, "That's really cool."

Flashing a smile at Kate, Max wanted to just reach behind her seat and hug the absolute sweetheart that she had just met. _Totally going to be friends. A girl is able to tell these things._ Seeing Two Whales as they came around the corner, Max told Kate that this was her stop and the other girl nodded with an embarrassed smile. _Seriously, stop with your cuteness. Stop. Stahp, Kate._

Waving at Kate from the parking lot as the bus headed towards its next stop, Max pulled at her luggage until she was standing behind Chloe's parked truck. Quietly opening the bed, Max realized how ridiculous she was being as she began to stealthily slide her backpack and suitcase into the truck bed.

"It's not like she'll hear me," Max said as she shook her head at her own ridiculousness, "Also, stealth doesn't work too well in broad daylight."

Closing the tailgate slightly less quietly, Max checked in a side mirror to ensure that she was as disguised as she could be before she approached the diner. Tip-toeing, Max leaned up against the nearest window and put a finger to her lips when a fisherman seated at the booth to which her window was located gawked at her. Seeing him nod with a smirk, Max peered over and managed to flag down Joyce. Joyce pointed over towards the other side of the diner, trying not to smile too brightly at the sight of little Max Caulfield while mouthing _Where's the pink hair_? Wanting to get a rise out of Joyce, Max yanked her beanie off and twirled her pink hair for a moment before slapping her headgear back on. Trying not to laugh at the sight of Joyce's shocked face, Max left the window and crept around the building until she was next to the door.

Taking a deep breath, Max shook her hand to stop it from shaking. _Ugh, quit it! It's not like I…not like I haven't_ seen _Chloe in five years. This is nothing. Nothing! Wowsers, I'm a wreck._ Slipping inside, Max peered behind the glass pane that blocked her view of the booths lining the side Chloe was on. Seeing Joyce show her the Belgian waffle out of the corner of her eye, Max nodded and crept on tip-toes until she was in the booth behind Chloe. Hearing the blue-haired girl much away at her own meal, Max quietly pulled out her phone.

 **Max: dude I'm hungry**

 **Max: feed me, Seymour. Feed me all night long!**

 **Chloe: lol lil shop of Caulfield horrors. Tough my food is MINE**

 **Chloe: get ur own**

 **Max: fine. I will! :P**

 **Chloe: NO EMOJI**

 **Max: wehhhh emoji af wehhhhhh :D :P ;P**

Max watched Joyce walk behind the counter in her direction, biting her lip to make sure she didn't give herself away. Seeing Joyce glance at her as she wafted the Belgian waffle around a bit, Max thought Joyce was going to drop her food and mouthed _Noooooooo!_ only to nearly make Chloe's mother actually drop the plate when she had to stop her own laughter.

"Uh, Mom? What's this?" Chloe asked as Joyce set the Belgian waffle across from her.

"Well, Chloe, you know that I'm not the biggest fan of your… _therapy_. However, I'll be damned if you don't get enough to eat with all that trainin' you do. Finish up what you already got and dig into that before _someone_ _else_ comes for it," Joyce said, signaling Max with her inflection.

Climbing to her knees, Max kept herself as quiet as possible. Her hands slightly shaking, Max bit at her lip and hesitated for a second before clamping her palms across Chloe's eyes.

"What the-?!" Chloe cried out in surprise.

"Guess who, Chlo?" Max whispered into the bluenette's ear, nodding as Joyce hastily took a picture with Max's cell phone. Pulling her hands away, Max grinned ferociously as Chloe spun around in her seat. Face lighting up in a huge smile at the person sitting behind her, Max thought Chloe looked like she might break into song as the bluenette stared at her in utter surprise.

" _Max?!_ Holy shit, Max!" Chloe said, watching as Max slid out of her bench to take the seat across from her, "Wait. This is _your_ …Mom. Mom, you _knew_?! What the hell?!"

"Should I go back to Seattle?" Max's pout and disappointed tone didn't fool Chloe's sense that her breakfast guest was teasing her.

"Hella no! Your ass is mine, Pinky!" Chloe said, reaching across the booth to clamp her hands on Max's shoulders, "Oh, dude! Dude, this is fucking-"

"I know this is 'hella' exciting, but can you lower your voices now?" Joyce asked as she handed Max her phone back, "You can take that beanie off now, Max. Let me see that pink hair a little better."

Taking the beanie and the hoodie off, Max rolled up the sleeves of her black t-shirt so Joyce could get a look at the tattoos as well as a better view of her pink hair. Seeing Chloe shake her head with a rueful grin, Max snickered before thanking Joyce for keeping their secret so well. Nodding, Joyce told Max that she looked cute. "Different as Chloe does when she thinks about how they were back then, but still very cute," Joyce had told Max before she headed back behind the counter.

Max dug into her waffle, savoring the taste as memories of her meals in Two Whales from years ago flooded her senses with the smells and tastes of all the food she had eaten in the diner. Eyes closed, Max chewed slowly on the bite as she felt Chloe staring at her. Smiling, Max kept her eyes closed as she asked Chloe "What?"

"…Don't get me wrong, Max. I'm _hella fucking glad_ you came down to Arcadia Bay like I told you I wished you would. I'm just totally surprised, is all," Chloe's words decidedly slow as the bluenette restrained her excitement.

"Well…," Max said, opening one eye to peer at Chloe before she set her fork down. Both eyes open, Max reached into one of the back pockets of her torn up blue jeans and pulled a letter out. Unfolding the sheet of paper, Max turned it around so that the lettering was facing Chloe directly. "Guess who's coming to Blackwell?"

"…Shut the fuck up."

"That is _not_ the response I was looking for, Chloe."

"…Shut. The fuck. Up."

Max watched as Chloe just stared at her own plate for a moment. Tilting her head down so that she could try and see if Chloe was okay, Max dropped her fork in shock as Chloe looked up at her with a teary-eyed smile. Sliding over in her bench seat, Chloe patted at the emptied space by her. Feeling her own lip quiver, Max bit at it in defiance as she slid out of her seat and took the spot next to Chloe. Leaning her forehead into Max's Chloe wrapped her arms around the pink-haired girl's shoulders in a warm hug. Both girls shaking from the emotional nature of their new reunion, Max sniffled in an attempt to dissuade her feelings from coming out as wetness on her cheeks. _No. I promised myself I would never…never cry...agh, Goddamnit. Goddamnit, Chloe,_ Max thought as tears spilled down her face. Burying her wet face into Chloe's shoulder, Max clutched at her friend's hoodie with small hands as the other girl shook in equal proportion to Max with her own silent crying.

"Aghh, we're being a couple of babies," Max mumbled only to feel Chloe press her in tighter.

"I hella don't care right now. You're here. You're _here_ , Max," Chloe whispered into Max's ear, the heat of Chloe's breath and her whisper sending a thrill down Max's spine. _Whoa, Max. Back the fuck up._

"Eheheh, yes I am here. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat mah food before it goes back to Belgium out of boredom," Max said as she tried to pry herself out of Chloe's grip, grinning as Chloe responded by sliding Max's plate over so that they could sit next to each other while eating.

"Dude, you are _not_ even going to try and eat over there. You're not leaving my side today, Maximilian." Chloe's glee was rubbing off on Max, the pink girl's enthusiasm trickling over into nervousness at just how happy Chloe was. _Why am I so scared? I've never been this scared in my life. What's wrong with me?_

Max picked at her waffle, her appetite beginning to fade away under the weight of each glance Chloe shot her. The bluenette's inability to stop smiling was making Max begin to panic. She wasn't used to happy, or that much smiling. When someone did smile, Max's first thought was that trouble was coming or that she might need to throw down with some creeper.

"You're making me nervous," Max muttered between a quick bite of her breakfast, the pinkette frowning slightly as her waffle started to get cool and soggy from her lack of attention towards the food.

"…I'm making you nervous? You came all the way down from Seattle and the first thing you did was pull a prank on me, you fucking punk! _You're_ nervous, eheh, how do you think _I_ feel right now?" The smile from Chloe flickered as a pained look on her face took its place. "I'm just glad that you're here, Max. Sure, it took you a scholarship to Black-Hell Academy, but still…it's nice."

"Black-Hell? Oh Dog, is it that bad?" Max asked, a worried frown starting to form on her face.

"For you, honestly, it might not be as bad as it was for me. I…I went through some rough shit while you were in Seattle, and I didn't do myself any favors with my behavior. Started fights, vandalized shit. The typical stuff for me."

"Uh, I could be fucked then," Max said, deflating as her hope of trying to make a fresh start at a new school seemed to pull away from her. _I don't_ have _to do that shit, but I just know that someone will start something and I won't be able to stop myself._

"You'll be fine. If you got a free ride there, I'm sure you will do Crack-Well proud," Chloe smirked as she looked over at Max, "A pillar of the community, our dear Maxine Caulfield."

"…Nobody's called me Maxine since…"

Both girls turned silent, the last of Max's sentence not needing to be said for there to be an understanding. _Dad called me Maxine…he told me "I love you, Maxine" as he was pinned in the driver's seat while I was trapped in back._ Feeling her hands begin to shake, Max slid them under the table and clamped them between her legs as the world suddenly felt colder to her.

"Hey," Chloe put a hand on Max's shoulder, taking a moment to register the pink-haired girl's trembling, "…You want to come with me? I'm going to go train. You can totally watch. Hella fun, yeah?"

"…I _did_ push my orientation tour at school till tomorrow so that I could see you. Just…," Max bit her lip before admitting defeat to her feelings, "Please don't leave me alone today, Chlo. I could use the company."

"Sure thing, Max," Chloe told Max as the pinkette slid out of the booth only to collide with another customer.

"Ehh, watch where you're fucking going!" the customer, a teenage boy, barked at Max with a venomous tone, "What the fuck are _you_ looking at? Get lost."

"Excuse me, asshole?" Max snapped back, the boy's head jerking back around to look at Max in mild surprise, " _You_ bumped into me, dick-for-brains."

"…What did you just say?" the boy asked, his look of surprise turning into maliciousness, "C'mon. Tell me what you said."

 _Is this dude for real? He looks like some paranoid jerk on during the aftermath of a bad acid trip_ , Max thought as she internally cringed at the manic look on his face, _I don't like how he's looking at me. What a creep!_ Taking a step back, Max's hands clenched into fists before Chloe slid out to stand between them.

"Back off, _Asscott_. Unless you want a lovely set of raccoon eyes from my fists to your face." Chloe stared the creepy boy down, glaring at him with her body tensed up for a fight.

"Chloe! Chloe Price, you _better not_ fight in here!" Max heard Joyce say from behind the counter. All three of them turning around, they saw Joyce watching them with an agitated look on her face. "Chloe, Max, you should get going."

"He started it!" Max said as she waved a hand towards the disturbed-looking boy.

" _I'm_ finishing it," Joyce said, her lips turning into a thin line as she stared at Max with a small amount of disappointment in her eyes. Max knew that she had just crossed some sort of line and struggled to keep herself in check.

"C'mon, Chloe. Show me your dojo," Max said, having to pull on one of Chloe's arms to get the other girl to pay attention, "Chloe, _come on_."

Dragging Chloe out of the diner, the bluenette staring down the menacing customer until she was at the door, Max swung the door open and spun the other girl around so that they were facing each other.

"Who the hell was that?" Max put a hand on her hip as she looked at a bewildered Chloe, her friend surprised for a moment at Max's directness.

"Nathan Asscott…well, _Prescott_. Might as well be _Asscott_ , though. Dick's family pretty much owns half the damn town. Shithead acts like he can just do whatever he wants with the saddest part being people actually letting him." Chloe pulled off her beanie to run her fingers through her hair as she calmed down. "Can't believe Mom sent _us_ packing."

Max and Chloe headed into the bluenette's truck, Max shrugging when Chloe eyed the luggage in the pickup's bed and flashed the pinkette an amused look. Pulling out of the parking spot, Chloe squealed the tires of her old vehicle and shot down the street. Max watched Chloe inquisitively, a pensive look on her face as she wondered what being in Arcadia Bay would mean for her and Chloe's relationship. _We've been apart for so long that the awkwardness is palpable. We hug, we get nervous as fuck, and we hug again. It's like angst on spin cycle, making us go round and around at ludicrous speed._ Startled, Max was snapped out of her thoughts as her phone vibrated in one of her hip pockets.

 **Rachel: U there yet?**

 **Max: yesh. Had food, will travel**

 **Rachel: I miss u**

 **Max: u miss cuddles**

 **Rachel: that too**

 **Rachel: call me 2nite, k?**

 **Max: ok :D**

"Who's that?" Chloe asked, glancing over at Max in an attempt to snoop.

"I thought _I_ was supposed to be the one who went into everybody's shit," Max chuckled a bit before she pulled up a picture on her phone and showed it to Chloe.

"That Rachel Amber?" Chloe asked. Max couldn't help but notice the sad inflection in her old friend's voice.

"Yeah. She was…," Max paused to look over at Chloe before continuing, worried about the other girl's response, "She was my Angel. With my parents gone and my life pretty much gone to shit, we were there for each other when no one else could be."

"…I could've, Max," Chloe said, her voice soft and tragic, "You could've at least called, let me know what happened."

"You had enough on your plate, Chloe, and I was such a wreck. Chloe…I was _in the car_ when it happened. I watched my dad…I watched him fade away…"

The awkward silence returned, both girls putting up internal walls to prevent further cutting of old wounds. _Wounds that never heal,_ Max thought as she slid against the passenger side door. Leaning her head onto the window, Max wondered once more if she had made a mistake in returning to Arcadia Bay. Everything in this town reminded her of days gone by, an opportunity at a life that was nothing more to Max than a fairy tale. Looking over at Chloe, Max grimaced at the faraway look on her childhood friend's face.

"…Chloe?" Max asked, her voice unusually soft, as her meekness caught the blue-haired girl off-guard.

"Yeah?" Chloe asked, keeping her eyes on the road as she tried to avoid glancing over at her wreck of an old childhood friend.

"I-I…I'm in pain, too. I see us…I see us as kids and it's like everything smashes together. I don't know what makes me happy or broken because it's all the same." Max slumped her shoulders, _I didn't want to say any of this, but you won't listen to me if I don't_ running through Max's head as she absently watched Chloe pull over to the side of the road.

"Max…why did you come back? You had to have thought all these feelings and memories would hella fuck with you," Chloe asked as she put the truck in park before tending to her heartbroken old partner-in-crime, "Hey. I'm serious, Max. Why?"

"I…I saw you at the bar that night, and I hadn't felt that alive in years as I did when you were in the ring. You were…you were amazing and I wanted you for myself. I didn't even know it _was_ you; I just knew that you were one of the most incredible things I'd ever seen," Max mumbled before looking away, her face becoming hot as she blushed.

"Max Caulfield, are you blushing? The hardcore punk is embarrassed? Too fucking cute, nerd." Max shot Chloe an annoyed look as she saw the bluenette's eyes light up from Max's brief moment of opening up.

"Ugh, don't make me feel any more awkward than I already am, Che." Rolling her eyes, Max flipped off Chloe to no effect. Seeing past Max's feeble attempts to bring the situation under her control, Chloe couldn't help but bust up laughing. "Are you laughing at me?"

"I'm laughing at how hella cute you are. Pierced, inked, dyed, and you're _still_ Max Caulfield." Chloe's words came between chuckles, voice straining as her throat started to become raw.

"I give up." Max sighed and laid her head on Chloe's lap. "Be my pillow till we get where we're going, Che?"

"I dunno. Will your pink hair turn my shorts a shade of Pepto-Bismol?"

Cussing under her breath, Max lifted her head up only to feel a strong hand gently press her back down into the lap she had been resting in. Feeling Chloe's fingers run through her hair, Max grinned contentedly as Chloe gently brought the truck back onto the road. _She's so warm_ , Max thought as she laid a hand on Chloe's leg, feeling lean muscle under the pale skin. _Maybe I_ should _refrain from pissing her off too much._

Max couldn't help but stare in awe as Chloe practiced her skills on the worn heavy bag in the junkyard. Admitting that it was not the ideal place for her to practice, Chloe let Max in on her secret hideaway. A windowless shed, it was decorated on the inside with party lights, graffiti, posters, and a couple benches. Letting Max select the music, "Being fucking polite, I guess", Chloe smiled as she heard Anti-Flag blare out of the stereo kept in her lair. Nodding her approval, Chloe had pulled the heavy bag out into the middle of the structure and ensured that Max was clear of any swinging limbs.

Starting with a couple of light jabs, Max watched Chloe bounce a couple times on bare feet before she let fly with a sidekick. Leaning her weight in, Chloe shuffled her feet for a second before Max nearly missed the impact. _She's so damn fast! Whoa!_ Max couldn't help but wince as Chloe followed up from the sidekick with a roundhouse kick, the flat of Chloe's foot connecting with the swinging bag with a loud smacking noise. Chloe zoned out, Max seeing her friend in action as the bag became an opponent. Slamming jabs, hooks, and kicks into her target, Chloe's moves almost looked surgical to Max. _Wowsers, she's fucking intense. I've seen her fight, but this is some next level shit._ Panting and shaking herself off, Chloe looked over to see Max cringe as some sweat hit her in the face.

"Ugh! Chloe!" Max wiped at her face with an exaggerated look of disgust aimed at the bluenette.

"I told you to sit back a little further towards the wall, Max. Not my fault you got sprayed."

"Uh, it's _your_ sweat."

"Crybaby."

"Nasty."

"Whiner."

"Skeeze."

"Nerd."

"A single word cannot express how much disdain I feel towards you right now. Slinging your sweat at me, you mangy fuck," Max said as she looked down to make sure her clothes hadn't been pelted by the aftermath of Chloe's workout.

Throwing a bottle of water from the camping cooler she sat on, Max watched it smack Chloe's butt with a small feeling of triumph. Looking over her shoulder, Chloe gave Max a feigned look of disappointment before reaching down to pick up the cold beverage only to get a towel thrown over her head.

"You're asking for it, right? I mean, you hella _want_ me to kick your ass?" Chloe asked Max, the pink-haired girl only able to see a smile from under the towel before Chloe drank a mouthful of water. "Pretty please? Lemme kick the booty."

"Ugh, _perv_!" Max stuck her tongue out at Chloe and watched as the other girl returned the gesture before heading over to flop onto a bench.

"When d'you want me to drive you to Black-Hell?" Chloe asked as she sat up and pulled the towel off her head, not noticing the slight flush in Max's cheeks as the pinkette decidedly looked away.

"Well, we could always have some fun before you resign me to my fate," Max said with a Cheshire grin as she pulled her vape out of the hoodie. Taking a quick puff, Max teasingly blew the vapor towards Chloe.

"What type of fun did you have in mind?" Chloe asked as she reached out for the proffered vape and took a puff herself, "Salvia?"

"Yeah. Not _as_ nice as my usual high, but pretty good nonetheless. Takes a bit more for me to feel anything from it," Max shrugged as she watched Chloe puff away. Max liked this, the calm between them. _No dead parents, no drama, no "Story of my Lifetime movie" bullshit. Just me and Che. I wish it would last, but I know that it won't. At least, not right away._ "Can we just chill?"

"I'd like that." Max felt an odd sensation at the sight of Chloe smiling, something warm in her guts that felt alien to her after so many years. She didn't know it yet, but she was starting to fall for her childhood best friend.

 **Author's Note –**

 **I'm pacing this story out a little more than my last one. I don't want too much to go down in a single chapter this early in.**

 **Max might be more emotionally scarred than Chloe, but isn't it nice to know everybody's favorite lil camera nerd is still in there somewhere? :D I felt that it was natural to have this version of Max be way more hesitant about letting people get close than other versions. Sure, she opens up some – it's like she's testing the waters, seeing if it is safe.**

 **Things will pick up a bit more next chapter as we'll be going into the start of Max's Blackwell experience.**

 **Read, review and I will see you in Chapter 3! (Just like with my last story, we're learning with Max as the story goes along. Makes for a more interesting read.)**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sometimes You're The Hammer, Sometimes You're The Nail**

 **Song by A Day To Remember**

 **Off to get some new ink for my half-sleeve, so I started this at 8am. Yeah, I'm pretty committed...meaning insane...**

 _"Oh my Dog, you're the best dad ever!" Max squealed with delight at the register as her father handed the store clerk the money for Max's Polaroid camera._

 _Sitting in the back of the car as her father and mother sat up front, Max was messing around with her latest obsession. Opening and closing the camera up in succession, Max was beyond happy. She was exuberant, practically bouncing in her seat with energy as she leaned down to grab a package of the film needed to start her photography up. Looking at the camera while loading it, Max paused as she thought of someone else that had the same camera as her._ Had _, Max thought with a feeling of sadness at the image of William Price._

 _Max had fought with her parents in the car as they'd left the Price residence a couple days after William's funeral. She'd been in tears the entire day, even more so when they had gone over to the Prices' to say their goodbyes. Chloe had locked her door and refused to come downstairs, relenting only when Max and her parents were getting ready to leave. Sprinting down the stairs, Chloe had clutched onto Max in a tight hug with tears in her reddened eyes that matched Max's own. Looking into each other's faces, Max and Chloe realized that neither girl wanted this to happen, to be separated from their best friend._

Chloe. I want to call, to write you and tell you that I miss you. I'm just scared that you'll hate me, _Max thought as the image of her smiling friend and the grief-stricken girl she'd left collided with one another. It wasn't fair, and Max had been on thin ice with her parents until only a couple weeks ago. Her crime? Sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night to try and get on a Greyhound that was headed for Arcadia Bay._

 _Her father had been driving, as he is at the moment, when the Caulfields' old SUV pulled up onto the curb next to where Max was on the sidewalk. Sporting her backpack, Max was pulling her suitcase behind her when her father had sprang out of the vehicle and come around to stop her. He hadn't been mad, not even disappointed. Chloe meant so much to his daughter that he_ understood _, which made it all the more terrible when Max finally looked up at him and cried._

 _"Max? Honey, you okay?" a voice called out to her, bringing her back to present day._

 _"Er-" Max started to say when she realized something was terribly wrong._

 _She was seated in the backseat, like she was every time she had this nightmare, looking down at her black-nailed hands as they cradled the same camera she'd owned for the past five years. Pulling at the seat belt, Max grunted as she tried to escape the car. Escape her nightmare. The restraint wouldn't budge. Feeling herself on the verge of a panic attack, Max's eyes darted around as she tried to find some means of escape or redirection only to watch the world outside the SUV fade to black as the vehicle was suddenly slammed into._

 _Max watched with a terrified seizing feeling in her chest as the next series of events played out in the dreadful slow-motion she had come to associate with this moment. The front of their family car began to crumple towards her parents, like an accordion Max had seen on YouTube. Moving at an incremental speed, Max felt the car reverberate and herself gasp as the dash began to push into her parents. The steering wheel smacked Max's father in the head as it was pushed in and up towards the driver, her mother already unconscious from her head smacking against the passenger side vehicle._

 _Max tried to scream, but nothing audible would come out. Instead, she would hear a whirring noise and a click as the camera went off and took a picture. Having slipped from her hands after the impact, the device had shot a single photo before it seemed to shatter before Max's eyes and freeze in time. Max didn't want to see what was on the developing film; something compelled her to look down at the film. Her father reaching out for her, his mouth open as the blood ran down his forehead._

 _"Don't be scared, sweetie. I love you, Maxine."_

 _Max's head jerked up and she was alone in the broken car, absolute silence permeating the entire scene for a minute. Max couldn't even hear her own breathing, and then it began again like it always did._

 _"Oh. Oh, no."_

 _18 years old Max Caulfield watched the next series of unfolding events through the eyes of her 13 years old counterpart. She can't remember everything in her dream but she remembers different her thoughts were then compared to now. Even if I could save them with what I know now, I can only move forward with what is gained. Why can't I just be a kid with all the memories of who I will be in five years?_

 _Because such questions are the stuff of dreams._

 _Somewhere in Max's mind, a favorite quote of her father's from Yeats was read aloud from somewhere in this mess as the metal was twisted and misshapen to peel away for something greater than the Sun. Max knew what it was; it was Death. Not a person, form, or even a theory; Death was a presence and as Max found herself carrying a slip of paper, she offered it to Death. Taking the scrap of knowledge with utmost courtesy, it examined the contents of the exchange before shuddering._

" _But I, being poor, have only my dreams;  
I have spread my dreams under your feet;  
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."_

 _Looking down at the girl, the sheer gravity of its omniscient state went over everything in her past, present, and future before returning her to_ where _she needed to be. Max felt herself pulled in some direction in the blackness, but she would not know where until she were-_

"Aaghhhhhh!" Max screamed as she put her hands to her eyes while desperately trying to forget the images still waiting for her. Sitting up in bed, it took a minute or two for the disorientation to pass before Max realized where she presently was. Feeling dampness on her cheeks, Max rolled her eyes at the realization that she had been crying while asleep. _Is this going to happen nearly every damn night now that I'm back in Arcadia Bay?_ Pushing her back up against the wall, Max folded her knees up to her chest and stared off into space as she began to calm down.

Her room was more decorated than when she had walked in for the first time Friday evening. Now Sunday morning, Kate had gone with her to an outlet store for some furniture and decorations. Paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling with music posters and photos from Seattle scattered about the walls, Max's room had become increasingly less a shell and more a sanctuary as Saturday had come and gone. Getting some help from Kate's friends Stella and Alyssa, the introductions had been a little awkward for the pinkette as she wore a tank-top that showed off the tattoos on her arms. Not feeling up to another description, she had told Alyssa and Stella to ask Kate if they wanted to know what they meant. _Maybe I was a little too harsh. I_ did _apologize, though, so they should at least be thankful for that_ , Max thought as she reached over to grab her phone from the bedside table.

"5:23 in the morning? You have to be fucking kidding me." Max groaned as she gently head-butted the mirror next to her bed out of frustration. She wanted a single night's sleep with no waking up, no nightmare. A peaceful oblivion with her eyes closed away from the world sounded perfect to Max. Lying back down in bed, Max looked up at her newly started photo wall and took in the new memories. Half the pictures were of her and Chloe, the bluenette making good on her word and not leaving Max alone all Friday. She had even stayed over, curling up next to Max only to wake her up ridonculously as she had tried to slide out of bed.

"Where're you goin'?" Max's eyes had been half-open when she saw the fuzzy image of Chloe sitting up on the bed as she tied her shoes.

"Going to get a run in, probably go to the junkyard and blaze a bit. Me being here is not the best idea, Max." Chloe sounded weary, but not from sleep. "You know…you know you cry in your sleep, right? Like, a hella crazy amount of crying."

"What…?" Max's eyes snapped open at that revelation, but even more so from the fact that someone had witnessed such an event. "You're not going to make fun, are you?"

"Fuck no, Max. Just surprised is all. Spent a chunk of the night calming your punk-ass down, Pinky."

Chloe had then looked down at Max with a compassionate smile and kissed the embarrassed girl on the forehead, surprising both of them. _Wowsers,_ Max thought before her usual cynicism crept in, _Awkward, cute, awkward, and back to cute. Yep, all the bullshit is in its proper goddamn place._ Sitting up in bed, Max had leaned herself against Chloe's back and closed her eyes at the warmth the other girl seemed to radiate.

"You set to broil or something?" Max had asked her blue-haired friend, "You're so warm."

"Nah, you're just hella cold. Seriously, you need to learn to keep your feet under blankets, Max. Fucking icicle."

Chloe had left shortly thereafter, pausing in the doorway to take Max's phone and punch her phone number in before leaving. _Took you long enough_ , Max had thought with a smirk before she had nodded off back to sleep.

Now sitting in bed, leaned up against the wall, Max scrolled through her messages and couldn't help but frown. Chloe hadn't responded to any of Max's messages or sent any of her own. _I wonder if I overdid it, popping up and latching myself onto her without any warning. I bet_ that _went well in the Price household._ Setting the phone down, Max walked over to the window and grabbed a bottle of water that was sitting on her dresser. Insisting that Max have something nurturing in her room, Kate had bought her a plant. Naming it "Lisa", Max watered her plant and looked outside. Too early to dawn to even remotely begin, the night sky still twinkled with stars as Max wondered what Rachel were up to.

"So many stars. Forgot what they looked like when there're so few lights outside," Max said as she let her mind wander, "I wish Rachel were here. She'd probably get a kick out of, well, _everything_."

Max had spent an hour yesterday on the phone with her friend/sister, trying to get the erstwhile girl to find a time for a trip to Arcadia Bay in her "tragic schedule of nothing" as Max had put it.

"I promise I will, Max. I've just got some stuff going on here that could actually get me going," Rachel had responded to Max's request, Max rolling her eyes only to catch hell for it as Rachel deduced what she was doing.

"You're not allowed to be fucking psychic, Rach!" Max joined in on Rachel's fit of giggling as the two had slid almost instantaneously into their usual banter. "Seriously, though, it would be pretty cool if you could visit soon. I miss you."

"I miss you, Maxie, and if all goes well up here I'll be able to come down sooner rather than later. Keep the faith, okay?"

"In you? Ehhhh, we'll see."

"Nice, Max. Good to see I have your support, heh. Later, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Moving across the small room to take a seat at her desk, Max reached toward the small crack between where her desk ended and the wall began to pull her vape out. Deciding that discretion was essential, Max had wedged the case into the small space before covering the entire desk surface with a small cloth. Kate, thinking it was cute, hadn't said anything. _Yeah, that's me. I'm fucking cute._ You're _cute, Kate, though a little naïve. Do I_ look _like I do cute?_ Taking a couple puffs to drive away the lingering dregs of her nightmare, Max leaned back into the chair and plugged in her headphones before playing some music from her phone.

"Guhhhhhh." Was all Max could say as she dragged herself down the stairs with Kate following alongside her. Eyes bloodshot from waking up so early, Max had nearly fallen back asleep at her desk only an hour ago before Kate had politely knocked on her door.

"Max? You up? Today's the first day so you might want to get in the shower a little early; everyone's going to be kinda nuts today." Kate had nearly jumped as a partially-zombified Max stumbled out of her room before pausing to look at the door across the hall from her own.

"…Who lives there? The erase board says "Victoria" but I haven't seen anyone come in or out," Max mumbled as she jerked a thumb toward the subject of her query.

"Be glad, Max. She's…she's pretty evil." Max couldn't help but notice the dour look Kate suddenly made as her friend looked off in the same direction she was, "H-hey, you want to get something to eat before class?"

Heading towards the dining facility next to the dormitories, Kate was nearly dragging Max as the pink-haired girl gently hissed at the encroaching Sun. Pretending that she was trying to wave the daylight off her face, Max looked out of the corner of her eye to see the sign of Kate's pleasant smile returning. _That's better_ , Max thought as she turned her play-fighting to Kate, _Smile, giggle, all that good shit. You look like you don't smile enough, Kate._ Seeing Kate mock surrender, Max nodded with a cry of victory as it became her turn to pull the other person along.

Two pancakes and three cups of what Max called "the bane of coffee drinkers everywhere" later, Max was sitting next to Kate in their Chemistry class. Mind wandering as their teacher Ms. Grant went on about attendance and grading policy, Max looked out the window and saw a couple rabbits playing around outside with a squirrel. Pulling out her Polaroid camera, Max took a quick snapshot only to gain the attention of the teacher she had been half-paying attention to.

"Maxine Caulfield, right? Since you are already so enamored with Blackwell, why don't you be the first to introduce yourself? You're new here anyway, so the sooner the better," Ms. Grant said with a smile as Max ran her fingers through her hair before wearily standing up.

" _Max_ Caulfield. My name is Max. Lived here when I was a kid, moved to Seattle, came back here. One and done," Max began to slide back into her seat, catching the amused look on Kate's face when she heard Ms. Grant cough.

"Surely there's more to you than that, Max. What are you interests? Hobbies?"

"…You cereal?" Max asked before seeing Ms. Grant egg her on, "Okay. I'm into photography, _obviously_. I want to make a career of it. I also like music, horror movies, fights, and tattoos." At the mention of tattoos, Max unzipped her hoodie to showcase her ink. Grinning as she saw the look of mild shock on Ms. Grant's face, Max decided to leave the hoodie off and tied it around her waist. "Oh, I'm also into piercings. Wowsers, right?"

Max's exhibition of her body art had garnered the desired response she had wanted; left alone from any further questions for the remainder of class, Max was only called upon by Ms. Grant once more when the bell had rung for students to go to their next class.

"Max, aren't you a little… _young_ to be sporting such a colorful number of tattoos?" Ms. Grant asked, making Max _almost_ feel sorry for how much of a brat she'd been.

"Ms. Grant, you seem really nice," Max started, sighing as she entered an all too familiar discussion, "but I will be 18 in a couple weeks so if anyone's going to make a decision about how I choose to express myself it will be me. I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. _Really_ , I'm fine."

"I wasn't questioning your artwork, Max. I'm just surprised, that's all. I have your grades from the online program you were in and you seem very bright; it's just the tattoos…"

"Make me seem unusual? Yeah, I get that a lot. Honestly, I just want a fresh start here. How about we rewind back? Hi, Ms. Grant. I'm Max." Max stuck her hand out, Ms. Grant smiling warmly as she took the offered hand and shook it.

The drowsiness from a lack of quality sleep followed Max along for the rest of the morning, Max's head nodding during English before getting a nudge in the ribs from Kate. Half-awake, Max had forgotten where she was for a moment and shot her kindly new friend a look that the other girl didn't deserve. _Sorry_ , Max had mouthed when she saw Kate's body tense up. Poking Kate back in the side with a finger, Max stuck her tongue out at the other girl and got a sheepish grin back in response before both girls were called out by the teacher to the murmured amusement of the class.

"…I'll see you in Mr. Jefferson's class," Max told Kate as she headed back towards the dorms, "I'm going to power nap or something, trying and clear my head of the damn cobwebs."

Max waved as Kate headed off to the cafeteria with a couple other girls whose names she couldn't remember at the moment, too tired and needing to a moment to herself. Her anxiety was riding a little too high for her and a few minutes of solitude would do her good. _At least I'm too tired and too busy to think about all the drama that I will no doubt endure, if the stares I've received so far are any indication. Maybe I should just wear a hoodie every day. Nope, fuck that. Besides, I'd have to get the dye out of my hair too and that's totally not happening._

Max continued walking across the main courtyard and down into the breezeway before bumping into someone as the other person turned a corner opposite the direction the pinkette was going.

"Uh, sorry," Max said before feeling a hand clamp down on her shoulder, "Excuse me?"

"Let me see some ID," the security guard ordered, a commanding tone to his voice. _Nice pornstache, dude_ , Max thought as she began to fish inside her camera bag for the ID card she'd been mailed while still in Seattle. Seeing a hand start to reach for her bag from her peripheral vision, Max smacked it away before it could get any closer.

"That is _not_ cool," Max said as she waved the ID card in the guard's face, "Do you even _have_ the authority to search students' belongings?"

"You look like a bad element, and I find it likely you're sporting contraband somewhere on your person," the guard said, Max reading 'D. Madsen' on his nametag.

"And you like a reject from war movie, Paul Blart. Doesn't mean I'm going to search you for keys to a Segway." Max pocketed her ID and walked around David Madsen, both people's faces reddening from irritation. _What an asshole_ , Max thought as she looked behind her to see the guard eyeing her. Flipping him off before making it into the dormitory area of the campus, Max grinned at him as he gritted his teeth.

Leaning against her door after she had finally made it to her room, Max sat on the floor for a moment and took a few deep breaths. Looking down at her phone to check the time, Max was glad they were given a decent amount of time for lunch. Thinking of vaping real quick, Max brushed the idea aside for the moment as she yanked her phone out of her pocket and began to type.

 **Max: U EVER going to actually message me back, Chloe?**

 **Max: 2 days, Chlo. 2 effing days. Did I fucking fart in my sleep or something?**

 **Chloe: …sorry. Just kind-of a shock, you being back. That and, well, I don't kno how to respond to what ur still going through**

 **Max: sry to dump so much on you. bailing is not the best response, tho**

 **Chloe: I DID say sorry, Cauliflower**

 **Max: I know. I just…I want U**

 **Chloe: Wat**

 **Max: I want to hang out, dork. U free this afternoon?**

 **Chloe: yea. I'd like to show U the house, but stepdouche will probably b home about the time U get out of class**

 **Chloe: u run into him yet? He works there, u kno**

 **Max: wat is his name?**

 **Chloe: stepdouche**

 **Max: *grins***

 **Chloe: David Madsen**

 **Max: fuk I just flipped him off for being a shit to me. gtg c u after class unless I die immediately after this txt**

Max smacked her head against the door with a quiet _thunk_ as she rolled her eyes. She could have _not_ been so argumentative, so shitty, to the guy who turned out to be Chloe's stepfather. _Noooo, I have to fucking push and push. Because_ of course _I have to. Where's my fresh start? Oh, that's right – I'm pretty much burning it in a trash barrel out back._ Hearing muffled voices from out in the hall, Max slid against the door until she was to her feet and opened it. Max remotely felt her phone slip out of her hand as she locked eyes with the girl standing across the hallway at the door marked "Victoria".

"No…no fucking way," Max uttered as the other girl's annoyed look turned into a venomous glare through narrowed eyes.

"You," Victoria Chase replied, her tone the same as Max's, as the punk and the girl from the bathroom line eyed each other. " _You're_ going here? Welcome to my house, punk hipster _bitch_."

Max heard the other two girls Victoria was with laugh but ignored them as she continued to lock eyes with the short-haired elitist staring her down in return. _This day needs to fucking end_. Max clenched her fists and took a half-step forward, hearing the laughter directed at her die down as one of the girls nervously slid into Victoria's dorm room. Taking another step forward, Max stood within arm's reach of Victoria and flashed the snobby girl a bright smile.

"You still smell like beer. You know that, right?" Max asked before winking at Victoria, heading down the hall while hearing an " _Ugh!_ " in response.

Wandering back outside, Max saw a cheery blonde girl standing across the yard outside the dormitory wave at her. Waving back, Max heard a slight chuckle as someone behind her returned the wave not meant for Max. _Ugh! Idiot!_

"That was an insane amount of embarrassing," Max said before feeling a hand on her shoulder.

"You're the new girl, right? The one everybody's talking about?" the girl behind her asked, coming around so that she was walking alongside Max, "I'm Dana. Can I…Can I see your tattoos? I was thinking of getting one."

Shrugging, Max took her hoodie off again and held her arms out for Dana to examine. Feeling fingers lightly brush against the inside of her forearms, Max bit her lip at the ticklish sensation until Dana looked up at her with a satisfied smile.

"Thanks. That's a lot of work, isn't it, all those?" Dana gestured to Max's arms.

"Yeah, but totally worth it," Max replied with a grin, "I'd like to get the other sleeve-"

"Dana, we're going to be late if you don't get your ass in gear," the blonde from the other side of the yard said as she approached them, "Hey. You're Max, right? Juliet."

Max nodded at Juliet in greeting, then excused herself as she needed to grab something to eat while the cafeteria was still open. Blitzing through the dining hall, Max grabbed a sandwich and a bottled tea before heading outside once more. Settling down on the small wall that overlooked the road heading back into town, Max munched away at her food. _Maybe I should've eaten with Kate and her friends. Could've avoided Victoria, if only for a moment. I think I have the shittiest luck on Earth._ First Chloe's step-dad and now Victoria Chase. Adding those incidents to all the awkwardness that was her first day at Blackwell Academy, Max sighed before finishing off her food.

Sipping at the tea, Max dangled her legs over the wall and watched a group of skaters messing around over by the steps leading onto campus. Max had tried skating, Rachel being "so pro" pushing her into it, but the hard truth was that Max knew she couldn't skate worth shit. The last board she had owned ended up being used as creep deterrent when she smashed it into a lecher's face in a Seattle alleyway as she and Rachel were coming back from a local rock show. Pulling out her phone once more, Max flicked at the screen to open up her messaging app.

 **Max: Wish u were here**

 **Rachel: I bet u do ;)**

 **Rachel: Made any new friends?**

 **Max: Maybe. Hanging with an old one. the girl I told u about?**

 **Rachel: Chloe, right? The kickboxer?**

 **Max: af-firmative. A ridiculous amount of awkward, but still good to see**

 **Rachel: can we talk later, Maxie? I'm ridiculously busy right now. TTYL! *heart-heart***

Rolling her eyes at the cheesiness of Rachel's send-off, Max got to her feet and headed inside as the first bell rang.

"Here we go again, Max. A second fresh start!"

Max's next attempt at a fresh start was greater in success, but not without a striking note of failure. Max had stormed out of Mr. Jefferson's class, despite that class being the only one she was interested in. As Mark Jefferson had started to write on the chalkboard at the front of class, Max felt a small wad of paper smack her in the head. Looking over with a grimace, Max saw Victoria flip her off only for one of Victoria's stooges toss another wad of paper. Not wanting to even see if they'd written something on the scraps, Max slid both projectiles onto the floor with a sweep of her hand as she tried to just look forward. Memories came at Max as the small assault continued: strange looks and bullies with every school she had been moved to, stolen backpacks, stolen notebooks, stolen lunch money. One multiple occasions, Max had gone to school hungry only to stay hungry the rest of the day when she not only didn't get any lunch but also didn't get to have any dinner.

"Would you _fucking stop?!_ " Max yelled as she rose to her feet, the momentum enough that her chair fell back. Max glared daggers at Victoria as the other girl's eyes widened in surprise. _You might be hot shit here, you evil piece of shit, but I will_ not _be fucked with and just take it. Fuck!_

"Max! Ms. Caulfield, is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?" Mr. Jefferson turned around at Max's outburst, setting down the chalk as he looked toward the back of the classroom with concern.

"She's throwing paper at me!" Max pointed at Victoria, realizing just how childish it sounded but not really caring. Picking up a couple of the wads, Max opened them up to show the words written on each crumpled note. "I didn't come to this school to get 'fuck off and die' or 'freak bitch' tossed at my head on the first day!"

"Did anyone here see Victoria throw these notes?" Mr. Jefferson asked as he took some of the wads to examine them himself. When only Kate raised her hand, albeit very hesitantly, Max looked at the girl with a pained expression. _I thought you were my friend_ , Max mouthed only to see the other girl lower her head down and look away.

"Max, I will talk with you after class about whoever threw these notes. For now, I ask that-" Jefferson was cut off by the sound of Max sliding her things off her table and into her bag.

"Yeah, that's what everybody says every time, Mr. Jefferson. I get hazed, and it's _my fault_ because I look different or act different. I'm gone." Max stormed out of the classroom, almost turning around when she heard Victoria call after her.

Her nerves fried and her chest tightening, Max ignored Mr. Jefferson as he tried in vain to get her to come back. Crossing the open hallway that led outside, Max kicked the girls' restroom door open and went inside. Chest rising and falling in a quick rhythm, Max turned on a faucet and splashed some water on her face before leaning her head against the mirror above the sink she was using. Jaw clenched, Max punched at the wall next to the mirror as she heard the door open.

"Ms. Caulfield?" a baritone voice called out, the door held open a crack, "Max? This is Principal Wells. Can I speak to you, please?"

Letting out a frustrated groan, Max slung her camera bag over her shoulder and slowly made her way out into the hall. The principal was waiting for her a couple paces down the hall, beckoning her over. _I don't need this. I really don't. I just want to take my classes, make a few friends, and try to not have a shitty time in my old hometown. Am I really asking that fucking much?_

"Principal Wells, I'm sorry if I-" Max stammered, looking away in embarrassment from the man's gaze as his expression softened at the pain on his new charge's face.

"…Look, Max. Mr. Jefferson came and told me what happened, showed me the notes. I'm sorry that your first day here is off to such a…rough start," Wells said as he motioned her through the hall, "How about you get on out of here and _tomorrow_ we can try this all again?"

"You mean it?" Max couldn't hide the relief in her voice as she looked up at him with an optimistic smile. "I'm not in trouble?"

"No. If anything, it seemed like there was trouble already. Go on. Come by the office tomorrow before classes start and we'll talk, okay?" Principal Wells offered her a warm smile as Max left, waiting until she was gone to pull one of the notes out. "Goddamn kids. Can't leave each other the hell alone."

Ten minutes later, Max was sitting in the Blackwell parking lot when Chloe came speeding through. Not noticing her friend's arrival, Max felt her chest flutter slightly when she heard Chloe call out to her. Putting a hand on her chest, Max mistook the moment of giddiness as just excitement to get away from what had been a really bad day.

"That much fun, huh? Told you I called it 'Black-Hell' for a reason, Maxaroni," Chloe said with a smirk as she watched Max climb into the passenger side. "Glad to see me?"

"Dude, I've been waiting nearly three days. I am _seriously_ glad to see you, you fucking dork." Max and Chloe exchanged a brief snicker before Max noticed Chloe seemed to disappear into her thoughts. "Chlo? You okay?"

"…It's been a shit weekend, Max. I…I got into some trouble. _That's_ the actual reason I haven't been around to hang." Chloe turned her face around to show Max her blackened left eye, a weak smile on the blue-haired girl's face.

"Holy shit, Chloe! What happened?" Max hesitantly reached out and gingerly put her hand on the left side of Chloe's face.

"…Fight. Fights, emphasis on the plural."  
"Like…like matches in a ring?"

"More like brawls in fucking bars."

Max must've looked too shocked because Chloe gently pulled the pinkette's hand off of her face before she shifted her truck out of park and shot out of the Blackwell lot. Max watched Chloe from the passenger side with a look of concern. She'd gotten into fights herself, seen Rachel go at it sometimes, but something off with Chloe. _Of course I'm upset that Chloe's hurt. It's just…I feel like I'm_ more _upset than a person might usually be. Maybe it's just that I remember all the hits from bullies she took for me when we were in school together._

"Sorry if I look so surprised, Chlo." Max's apologetic tone brought Chloe out of the dismal withdrawal into herself. "You've just been so Zen since I've seen you. It's like you have your shit together as much as I wish I did."

"I wish that were the case, Max, but I don't. I hella don't."

Chloe spilled to Max about some of her weekend as they drove down the road. Having been bolted out of the house after getting into it with her stepfather, Chloe had driven into the next town to find a bar that would let her in. Flashing some bills at the bartender, Chloe had managed to get three shots of tequila out of the place before the bartender had to cut her off for fear of getting caught selling his booze to a minor. Snorting at how scared the bartender was, Chloe had turned around in her stool to take off when she had bumped into "some random shithead". Trying to apologize, Chloe had ducked when the guy tried to sucker-punch her. Her instincts kicking in, Chloe had driven her palm up into her would-be attacker's face and broken his nose. Feeling the crunch under her hand, Chloe had felt a momentary satisfaction before she saw that the guy she'd just defended herself against brought his friends with him to the bar.

The rest of the night had been a chase, Chloe making a beeline for her truck only to get her jacket pulled at when one of her pursuers had caught her. Spinning around, Chloe had clocked him in the jaw with the back of her clenched fist and jumped inside her truck. Peeling out, Chloe had shot down the road in hopes of them not following. Seeing a couple pairs of headlights begin to speed towards her, Chloe's heart had sunk as a dread took its place.

"That wasn't exactly my first time with this," Chloe explained as she drove on, "I…I kind-of have a hella short temper, Max, and the skills to back it up…"

"…How bad is your temper?"

"Dude in the hospital, but still too macho-shit to admit he got owned by a girl with blue hair."

"Wowsers," Max uttered, trying to picture the level of beating Chloe could actually inflict. _I…I think I'll just leave that guesswork be._ "What happened next?"

"I got tailed for an hour or so until I finally pulled over and called the assholes out. I guess my lack of giving a shit unnerved them because they peeled out. Not before leveling a fucking beer bottle into my face." Finished with her story, Chloe gestured to her black eye with a free hand before looking over at Max. "Still want to hang out with-"

Chloe's entire face became suddenly very hot to her as Max leaned over and rested her head on Chloe's shoulder, the pink-haired girl looking up at Chloe with eyes that relayed both sadness and concern. Feeling a small hand weave its way into her own free one, Chloe bit her lip at vulnerability Max was showing.

"…You want me to slide back over?" Max asked, picking up on her friend's hesitation.

"Nah," Chloe said in reply, sighing as she leaned her head on Max's as she continued to drive, "I hella nee this. You're just…"

"I'm _what_?" Max asked, quirking an eyebrow as she smirked.

"You're just too fucking cute sometimes, Maxaroni."

"That's it. I'm sliding back-, oww!"

Max felt Chloe's hand squeeze her own hard for a moment as she pulled Max back over alongside her. Nudging Max's head with her chin while keeping an eye on the road, Chloe smiled when Max slowly lowered her head back onto Chloe's shoulder.

"Satisfied? You're a public menace, Chloe Price."

"Takes one to know one, Max Caulfield," Chloe shot back with a chuckle, "Besides, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

Max felt the fluttering sensation in her chest a second time, paying it no mind as she closed her eyes in contentment of being near such warmth. _I missed this_.

 **Author's Note – 6,000+ words in three hours.**

 ***head falls onto desk***

 ***lives, dies, lives again***

 **Chapter Three is in the can. Someone asked me if this was going to be a daily and the truth is that I will update as often as I feel that I can and as much as I am inspired. Last chapter marked me crossing over 300,000 words of content spanning all my stories thus far, so it's not like I am not doing alright for distributing stories to you beautiful rolls who are too damn pure. Well, except for you *points* Yeah, you!**

 **I chose to go start this on the Monday after Max got back for two definitive reasons. One, because I liked the idea of Max's first weekend at Blackwell weighing on her mind as she experienced the first day. Two, because I wanted to continue the slow build. The idea is for all of us to acclimate to these new surroundings as Max does, and see how she responds. I don't know if you noticed, but Punk Max has some anxiety and aggression issues which will get laid out in greater detail further on. Chloe's no slouch in the aggro department, either.**

 **Did I hit you in the feels with the opening sequence? I've had near-death experiences but have never written one, so I relied on just how trippy I remember it being and relayed that into a dream/memory sequence. Hope you liked it, even if it was an amazeballs amount of sadface-ing.**

 **Read, review, and see you next chapter!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls! :D**

 **PS - Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney were the three girls cutting in front of Chloe at the line for the restroom from Chapter 1. JSYK ;) FORESHADOWINGGGGGGG**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fragile**

 **Song by Kerli**

Taking a long drag from the joint she had finished rolling, Max passed it over to Chloe as both girls relaxed in Chloe's hideout at the junkyard. It was Friday afternoon and Max was completely drained. Monday only being the first day of her new Arcadia Bay experience, Max had abandoned the school nearly every afternoon to get away from everything with her blue-haired friend. It didn't matter to Max if they just hung out and did nothing or if she watched Chloe as the other girl continued to train; Max just wanted an escape.

Meeting with Wells on Tuesday morning had gone surprisingly better than Max had imagined. Presenting the notes on his desk, Max had waited a moment in a chair opposite Wells when he heard a small _humph_ from behind her as Victoria was ushered into a seat by Mr. Jefferson. Essentially cajoling an apology out of the blonde girl, Mr. Jefferson and Principal Wells followed up Victoria's apology with their own in regards to Max's poor first impression of their school. Telling Max that "his door was always open", Principal Wells ushered the girls out into the reception area before closing the door so that he could speak to Mr. Jefferson in private.

"This changes nothing. You're still a piece of shit, and that can't be take back with a fake-as-hell apology," Victoria muttered as she walked past Max.

"There's a lot of things that can't be taken back, Victoria," Max chimed in, the other girl halting mid-step as Max continued, "I don't need your damn apology, and I sure as hell didn't want it. No matter how rich you are, the words that come out of your mouth are nothing but fucking garbage."

Seeing the principal's secretary look at her in mild surprise, Max rolled her eyes and walked past Victoria back out into the hall. The rest of the week in school had included a diminishing number of outbursts as the days progressed, Max being left to her own devices by Victoria and her posse. After Tuesday's photography class, Max had waited out in the hall until Kate came by before she caught the other girl's attention. Walking by a glum-looking Kate, Max put a hand on the other girl's shoulder and smiled at her apologetically.

"Sorry about yesterday, Kate. In class, I mean. I…I just get stupidly defensive and I was more afraid than angry when I thought you weren't backing me up. Seriously, though. I _am_ really sorry." Max watched Kate process her words before the dour girl's expression changed to one of relief.

"I just wish Mr. Jefferson had seen me with my hand raised when you were still in the room. I didn't catch his attention until you had already been gone for a few minutes. Victoria…Max, I know that you're pretty tough and everything but Victoria and her friends pretty much rule this place. Nathan Prescott, Victoria, all of them…if you make one of them upset they all come at you. Just be careful, Max. Okay?" Kate's request cut Max deep as she realized just how much Kate cared. _I don't think it's just me, either. She's just a genuine, caring person. Wowsers, and she's my friend. I hope._

"…Would you be my friend?" Max's words were hushed but clear enough to get Kate's face to light up even further.

"Oh. I'm sorry; I thought you said something," Kate teased, tapping at her ear, "Did you say something, Max? A question, maybe?"

"Ugh, really? You have to hear it a second time? I'm not exactly down for mushiness 24/7, y'know?" Max put a hand to her forehead as Kate just giggled.

"We're already friends, Max. Unless you'd like to try your hand with Victoria…?"

"I'd sooner get my all my ink done again without any stops."

Max felt the rest of the week had otherwise been pretty cyclical. _Wake up, shower, eat, class, eat, and class again_ , Max smirked as she took back the joint from Chloe with a grin, _The only difference being in that I either hung out with Chloe, hung out with Kate, or just chilled in my room. Homework's pretty blah so far._ Max frowned a little as Rachel's face popped up in her mind. Memories of helping Rachel with her homework, despite the year difference between them grade-wise, brought back some warm feelings that were now tainted with the sadness of them being separated.

"Turn that frown upside-down and all that other corny shit, Max." Max looked over at Chloe, the other girl smiling as she watched the pinkette's face become saddened. "What's on your mind? Dr. Chloe is available."

"I…nothing, Chlo. You probably wouldn't want to hear it, anyway," Max said, staring off into space.

"Your friend in Seattle?" Chloe asked, straining to keep her disappointment from being picked up by Max.

"Yeah. But I've got someone else who needs my attention, so I need to prioritize." Sitting up, Max rubbed at an eye with the palm of her hand. "Someone, I dare say, of equal importance."

"Who do I have to punch in the face?" Chloe asked, waving a fist in the air in mock threat.

"Kate Marsh," Max replied, making a pleasant sounding noise while sheepishly grinning. Looking over to see the crestfallen look on Chloe's face, Max busted up laughing. " _You_ , dummy. Kate's my friend, but you're my Chloe. We inked ladies have to look out for one another."

"I thought you told me I wasn't a lady, Max." Chloe smirked, swinging a light punch into Max's shoulder.

"It was a split decision. Had to make a judgement call."

"Ohhhhh."

Getting out of her seat, Max moved over to where Chloe was seated and took the spot next to her. Getting a bemused expression and a single eyebrow raise from the blue-haired girl, Max smiled as she took Chloe's beanie off and pulled it down onto her own head.

"You're so fucking high. Adorable, but way burnt," Chloe said as she looked at the beanie-clad Max bat her eyelashes playfully.

A little drunk and too high to notice how red Chloe's face got, Max felt a little flush herself but didn't really care. She felt at peace for the first time all week, calm, and she wanted to enjoy it. Propping her legs up onto the wall, Max laid down so that her head was nestled in Chloe's lap. Looking up, Max let out a giggle at how much Chloe was blushing.

"Chloe Elizabeth Price, are you crushing on me?" Max couldn't help but tease. _Fuck it. Everything just feels so good right now._

"Shut it, Pinky." Max couldn't tell what Chloe's actual response was until Chloe broke eye contact only to peek at Max out of the corner of her eye.

"Holy fuck, you _are_!" Max sat up and accidentally smacked her head into Chloe's chin, both girls wincing from the impact before looking at each other and breaking into another fit of laughter. "I-I can go sit back where I was, Chlo. It's no problem, for cereal."

Max moved to get off the bench when she felt a hand lightly grasp her shoulder. Looking behind her to see Chloe's downcast face, Max could make out a lit being bitten into underneath a mess of blue hair. Spinning around as she sat up straight, Max turned around to right next to Chloe. Weaving her arms around one of Chloe's, Max rested her chin on Chloe's shoulder as she watched the other girl closely. _She is really crushing on me. Wowsers, Che! This is some hella fucking news to me!_

Eyes darting back and forth as she tried to figure out what to do, Max was about to speak when Chloe's head snapped up and she looked at Max from behind waves of blue hair.

"Dude. You should totally come with me tomorrow night to Portland! I have a mini-tourney and could use a ring girl." Max shot Chloe a cynical look but the fighter would not be talked down. "Hella serious, Max. Well, not about the ring girl thing. You _should_ totally come, though. It'll be epic, and I'd like the company."

"What's so special about _my_ company?" Max would also not be talked down, albeit her reasoning was from what she had just discovered moments ago.

"…It's _yours_."

The slight hesitation, the softness of Chloe's voice, caught Max off-guard as the other girl looked at her with yearning eyes. Wrapping one of her hands in Chloe's, Max lightly kissed Chloe's bare shoulder. Swearing she saw Chloe's body shiver through the bluenette's skull tank-top, Max closed her eyes before resting against Chloe's shoulder once more.

"S-Since you asked so sweetly. Sure, I'll tag along." The faint stutter threw Max off as she tried to figure out just what was going on.

"Hella yes," was Chloe's only reply as she leaned her head onto Max's, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"…I have a question, Chlo." Max gently removed her head from Chloe's shoulder as she sat up to look at her friend. "Why don't we ever stay at your house? I mean, is Joyce mad at me or something? Do you not want me to stay at your place? My dorm room is cool, I guess, but my bed's fucking tiny and you always bail first thing in the morning. I want to crash and _stay_ crashed. At least for _some_ of the morning, anyway."

"That's a lot for one question, Maxaroni," Chloe said with a sly grin.

"I'm fucking curious. I've been back a week and I haven't even _seen_ your house, much less been invited to it. What gives?" Max saw Chloe's cheerful expression waver as she finished talking. _Did I say something wrong? Is Chloe's home life that screwed up?_

"…I wanted to bring you over early on, Max. I really did. There's just…you know David is my step-dick, right? Well, he's kinda fucking nuts. Dude still thinks he's at war or something, and we don't get along." Chloe's hands clenched into fists as she gritted her teeth, flinching when Max put a hand on her shoulder before calming down a fraction.

"Go on," Max encouraged Chloe, her tone and face softened as she witnessed the pain that worked its way across Chloe's face.

"…We fight. No bare-knuckle brawls or anything. After you left, my mom spiraled pretty bad. David kinda swooped in, or that's what I tell myself. My mom _says_ she's happy, but he's like a fucking dictator in our home and it's not even _his_. The house is in my mom's name but David treats the place like it's his goddamn castle. He…he hit me when they were still just engaged. He lied, of course. Told my mom I had started it. I just didn't want him in my room. Dad had only been gone not even a year and the asshole wanted me to just sweep my life under the bed and act all 'soldier.' The funny thing is that if he hadn't fucking touched me I probably wouldn't have taken up fighting."

"So, you started it as self-defense?"

"Pretty much. I got older, realized I was actually good at it. Got kicked out of the gym here in town, though. Broke a guy's jaw when he tried to get touchy-feely with my ass in the locker room. Probably didn't help that I also slammed his head into a locker."

Max's eyes widened at the image of Chloe losing her cool and flying out in a rage. _Her strength, height, power. Dog, she could really fuck someone up. Glad I'm on her side._

"Anyway, if you _really_ want to come over then it's cool. Joyce will be glad to see you. I'm more worried about General Asshat trying to fuck with you. You're already on his radar, and I just don't want to make things worse for you." Chloe looked over at Max and blushed once more as she saw the Max Caulfield from her childhood shining through the pinkette's eyes, a purely innocent smile escaping the usually-scowling face.

The air was pregnant with tension as Max leaned closer to Chloe, both girls seeming to pick up on what was about to happen. Chloe's face turned even redder as she watched Max approach from the corner of her eye. Eyes wild as she tried to process the moment at hand, Chloe fought to keep her calm only to melt under Max's touch. Hooking a finger under Chloe's chin, Max slowly turned her friend's head so that their faces were inches apart. Chloe's eyes widened as she saw the teary eyes of her friend looking at her with an intensity she hadn't seen.

Max felt her self-control slip at the end of Chloe's last sentence. _She cares. I mean, I knew she did but I never imagined just how deep it went. She's been through her own hell and she's still looking out for me._ Feeling the flutter in her chest once more, signs and thoughts aligned as Max realized what was happening. _I love you as a friend, Che, but I…I think there might be something more. Something…amazing…_

"Max…Max, I-" Chloe stammered as Max leaned in closer, eyes half-open as she felt the warmth of her friend's breath caress her face.

"Shhh," was all Max replied with, leaning in as she gave Chloe a single kiss.

Grabbing the cloth of Chloe's tank-top, Max pulled the other girl closer to her as she stretched the kiss for as long as she could. It took Max a moment to register that Chloe wasn't kissing her back. _Fuck. I read it wrong_. Pulling herself a way, Max gave Chloe an apologetic smile only to get pulled back into Chloe's lips as the blue-haired girl returned Max's gentle kiss with a hard one. Their lips crashing against each other, Max felt a thrill run down her as Chloe's tongue slid between her lips. Opening her mouth just a fraction, Max licked at Chloe's lips once before pulling away once more.

"That…that was…," Max felt like she couldn't breathe. _What did I just do? What was that? Fuck, it was amazeballs in any case._

"That was pretty hardcore." Chloe took a couple of deep breaths, her mind catching up with her body before she started to chuckle. Leaning her forehead against Max's, Chloe sighed as she closed her eyes.

Max felt the heat radiate from Chloe like waves from the beach crashing against the sand. Her friend's breath smacking into her face in small bursts, Max frowned for a moment as she tried to figure out what the meaning was in what just happened when she felt Chloe's fingers run along her jawline. Looking up, Max saw Chloe watch her patiently with a mirthful expression on her face. Mouthing _Just relax_ , Chloe cupped Max's cheek as she tilted her head up and kissed the pinkette on the forehead before pulling herself back so that they were separated once more.

"So. That was a thing." Chloe gave Max a sidelong glance as the corner of her mouth lifted up in a smirk.

"You call that 'a thing'? Che, what the fuck?" Max couldn't help but laugh as she tried to shove her best friend over, the other girl immoveable as she laughed at Max's attempts. "Agh, fuck you and your fucking berserker strength! Budge! _Budge_!"

"Want to head over to my house?" Chloe asked as she hopped up, Max falling over from the weight of her friend disappearing as she kept trying to push Chloe onto her side. Swearing into the fabric of the bench, Max eyeballed a smiling Chloe while her face was still planted on the bench's seat.

"You. Fucking. Suck," Max muttered as she pushed herself up, "And yes. I wanna go home. Well, to your home."

"You sure?"

"Pos-a-fucking-tive."

"Alright, Mad Max. Prepare to enter the Chloedome. Two girls enter, but there's already a jerkface so we might be screwed. I hella call your dorm as a backup if this epically blows."

Driving out of the junkyard and onto the road leading back to Arcadia Bay, Max was looking out the passenger side window when she felt something crawl on her hand. Looking over, Max felt a coy smile come across her face as she watched Chloe's fingers slowly interlink with her own. _What does this mean?_ Max looked down at their joined hands with curiosity. She'd been in a couple of what other people _might_ consider relationships before, but this feeling she had in her chest had never accompanied any of them. Feeling eyes watching her, Max looked up at Chloe with her head still bent toward the hands.

"Yes?" Max's simple question seemed to brim with multiple hidden meanings, so many ideas racing through her mind as she watched Chloe start to speak only to stop and open her mouth again.

"What does…what does _this_ mean?" Chloe's question came out like a sentence smashed into a single word, causing a brief fit of hysterical laughter from Max in response. "Max, I'm hella serious. We…we _kissed_ , dude!"

"I'm not laughing at you, Che. It's just that I've been asking the same damn thing _since_ the kiss." Max smiled at Chloe, her walls coming down for a moment to shine upon her old friend with a kindness that seemed familiar to them both.

"Oh." Chloe was once again reminded of the Max of old, the little brunette girl who had played with her and laughed with her in more innocent days.

"How about…how about we just take whatever this is as it comes?" Max squeezed Chloe's hand as the innocent moment began to recede behind her barriers. "We just…don't push anything on each other. We just _be_."

Chloe nodded, and Max turned her head back toward the passenger window. The glass fogging up from her sudden expulsion of breath, Max leaned her forehead against the window as her chest tightened in pain. She hadn't let anyone in for a long time. _Not even Rachel really made it all the way,_ Max thought as she felt Chloe's fingers between her own. _So why now? Why Chloe? Is this destiny or something? Makes me wonder what could have been if we'd never left Arcadia Bay. Oh God, what if we never went to Seattle? Mom…D-Dad…_

Max cussed under her breath at the idea of her mother and father still being alive, of them staying in Arcadia Bay and Max not having to live in broken homes and on the streets. The image of her and Chloe continuing to grow up together only cemented the pain in her heart as she began to sob. Sniffling quietly, Max let go of Chloe's hand and wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned even more into the window. She didn't want Chloe to see her cry. She didn't want _anybody_ to see her cry, not ever again.

Pulling into the driveway, Chloe let out a sigh that drew Max out of her thoughts before the truck was shut off. Watching the bluenette just sit in the driver's seat and stare at the house, Max began to get the impression that this might not have been the best idea. _She looks super stressed. Maybe some other time, when David isn't home?_ Opening her mouth to speak, Max was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. Chloe visibly tensed only to let out another, more relieved sigh as Joyce's silhouette took shape in the illuminated doorway.

"Chloe, I'm surprised to see you back so…well, Max! About time Chloe brought you over! You've been back for what, a week, and I only ever saw you when you first got here. Took you long enough, kiddo," Joyce said as the two girls made their way toward the house, giving Max a hug that gave Max a sense of familiar comfort and mild awkwardness. _Uh…okay, Joyce. Wow, you haven't changed at all._

"Hey, Joyce." Max's shy tone elicited a smile from Chloe's mother before Joyce looked over to see the strained expression on Chloe's face.

"He's not here, Chloe. You can relax." Joyce's tone matched the look on Chloe's face as both Price women seemed to settle into something of a calming nature. As Joyce ushered the two girls inside, Max took in the familiar surroundings.

The house's interior was almost virtually unchanged from the last time she had set foot inside Chloe's home. The paint, the pictures, even the table beside the door; almost everything was a living testament to the past. Chloe and Joyce exchanged a shared look of amusement at Max's wondrous face, but the pink-haired girl didn't seem to notice as she slowly walked through the house. Examining the old sofa, the wine stain on the carpet, Max felt herself slip into an old familiarity that felt foreign to her while also making her feel at home. Looking to the wall on the far right, Max saw the sole eyesore out of everything she had seen upon entering the house.

"Ugh," Max said, gesturing to a framed picture of David standing over a deer Max assumed he had hunted and shot down, "If I took that, the deer would be standing over him."

Seeing Joyce's eyes widen in slight surprise, Max thought she had said something insulting until Chloe busted up laughing at Max's miniature outburst. _My mind-to-mouth filter needs changing,_ Max thought as she tried to give Joyce an apologetic smile.

"Honestly, I don't really care much for that picture, either," Joyce said as she shrugged Max's opinion off, Max visibly relaxing only to scowl at Chloe still being amused. Punching the kickboxer in the shoulder, Max stuck her tongue out at Chloe only to wince at the impact of her small hand on lean muscle.

"S'what you get, hittin' on me." Chloe's wiggling of her eyebrows suggested a double entendre that Max caught onto instantly, Max wiggling her own eyebrows in return as she took Chloe's hand. Seeing Chloe blush, Max gave the other girl a triumphant grin only to get a copy of her earlier scowl shot back at her by the recipient of her hand-holding.

"Oh, it brings back memories to see you and Chloe here, Max. Really, it does," Joyce said as she walked them into the kitchen, "You eaten yet?"

"Nah. We just got back from hanging out at the yard," Chloe said as she peeked inside the fridge, "Got anything good?"

"I don't want to impose, Joyce," Max said sheepishly, garnering a surprised look from Chloe to which she offered the other girl yet another scowl. _I_ can _be polite_ , _Chloe. Fucking dork._

"You are _not_ imposing, Max. Did you not just here how I was sayin' that I wish Chloe'd brought you here sooner? What you want to eat, hun?" The hand on Joyce's hip and the tilt of her head told Max that declining food was not an option. Also, her stomach agreed as Max felt it growl in acknowledgment of its existence.

"Uhh, what do you have?"

"What would you like?"

"…Pancakes…?" Chloe practically bounced around with a grin slapped on her face when Max had given her request.

"Hella yes! Breakfast for dinner is always an epic win!" Chloe said before seeing the look on her mom's face. "What?"

"What makes you think that _you_ get pancakes, too?" Joyce winked at Max while Chloe turned to look with at her friend in disappointment. "Relax, Chloe. I'm not going to neglect my own daughter. Both of you sit your butts down somewhere and I'll let you know when they're ready."

Max hardly was able to say "Thanks, Joyce" before she found herself being yanked out of the kitchen by Chloe as the taller girl led her up the stairs. Trying not to laugh at the excited look on Chloe's face, Max watched the door to Chloe's room open and her jaw dropped at the _completely_ alien surroundings she found herself in.

"What, no 'My Size Barbie'?" Chloe turned at Max's question to flip the pinkette off before letting out a snigger.

"It's right next to my fucking tutu and goddamn tiara, smartass."

Band posters, fight posters, and graffiti covered the walls of Chloe's room that weren't taken up by furniture. Turning around in a slow circle to take everything in, Max flipped a bemused Chloe off as she examined some of the phrases scrawled onto the walls. ' _Think like a man'? 'Everyone lies, no exceptions'? Nice to see I'm not the only pessimist in the house_ , Max thought as she examined the music posters. Nodding in approval of Chloe's tastes, Max looked to find Chloe laid back on the bed. Watching the bluenette flash her a smile before patting at an empty spot on the blankets, Max ran and jumped onto the mattress. Grinning in satisfaction at Chloe's brief flash of panic as she came hurtling over, Max laughed as the kickboxer nearly scrambled out of the way. Landing within inches of Chloe, Max flopped down onto the bed and curled up next to the other girl, burying her face into Chloe's tank-top as suppressed a snicker.

"Asshole," Chloe muttered as she sidled over so that she could join Max's half-assed attempt at cuddling, "You're such a fucking jerk."

"Awww, you say the nicest things." Max laughed as Chloe rolled her eyes, both girls smiling as they took the other person in their arms. "This is nice, too."

"Mmm."

"Okay. 'This is hella nice, and you're so fucking hardcore, Max. I mean, that kiss was total amazeballs and I kinda just wanna jump you right now.' Really, Chloe? I'm-, _oww_! No hitting!" Max rubbed at her shoulder in mock hurt as Chloe had swatted at Max while giving the pink-haired girl a chagrined look from the corner of her eye.

"…It was total amazeballs, though." Chloe's admission turned Max's pout into a wry smile, Chloe sighing in reply as she saw the smug look on her friend's face. "Oh, fucking whatever, Max. You know you liked it, too."

"Didn't say I didn't, dork."

Chloe's admission and her own teasing gave Max pause. She loved Chloe, the years not really changing how glad she was that her childhood friend was back in her life. Chloe seemed to be so alive to Max, full of life and a raw strength that Max could appreciate in reflection to herself. The fluttering in her stomach and chest, though, gave Max pause. _I don't know what's going on right now. Chloe says that we should just take whatever it is as each moment comes, and that's cool and all. I just don't want to open myself up, even to Chloe, only to get knocked the fuck back down. Wowsers. I kissed Chloe. Dog, it was…it_ was _pretty amazeballs…_

Lying together on the bed until Joyce called them downstairs, Max curled up next to Chloe. Letting the bluenette wrap an arm around her, Max closed her eyes and let her friend's heartbeat put her into a trance. _Bu-bump_. Max felt the tension in her body begin to subside. _Bu-bump_. She could smell Chloe's scent in everything around her. _Bu-bump_. Max began to lose herself as she drifted away. She wished tonight would just go on. _No morning, no tomorrow at all. Just right now, this peace. A moment is all I really want._ Max felt safe, secure in her friend's protective arms as the world faded away.

"Max! Chloe! Pancakes!" Joyce hollered from the foot of the stairs. "Unless you want me to eat them, I'd advise you get your butts down here!"

"You awake? Max?" Chloe smiled as she felt a small hand lightly grip onto her arm, fingers squeezing her gently as Max sleepily opened her eyes and gave Chloe a shy grin. "Hey."

"Hey." Max leaned up on her elbows and looked down into Chloe's eyes. Rubbing her nose against her friend's in an Eskimo kiss, Max turned onto her back and hopped to her feet. "Need a lift?"

Offering Chloe her hand, Max pulled the taller girl up and led her downstairs hand-in-hand. Making it into the kitchen, Joyce saw the two girls holding hands _and_ the bashful look on Chloe's face but only grinned as Max herself was unaware of the look on her friend's face. The dinner table, set for three, held three plates with pancakes stacked on a platter in the center. Snatching the bottle of syrup from the kitchen counter, Chloe walked to the table with a light swagger in her step and plopped down into one of the chairs. Scooting another chair over so that it was next to her own, Chloe eyed Max knowingly and patted at the empty seat as she took hers.

"You're such a dork," Max mused as she grinned and sat next to Chloe.

Thanking Joyce as Chloe's mother stacked her plate with three blueberry pancakes, Max held the plate in front of her face and breathed in the scent of homemade goodness. _Mmm, I haven't had anything that smelled so good in such a long time. I think the last time I_ had _pancakes was when…when William…oh. Oh, Chloe_. Max looked over and felt that Chloe must have been reading her mind, the other girl looking down sullenly at her own plate steaming with food. Nudging Chloe with her hip, Max managed to get a faint grin out of her friend before the three of them dug into their food. Practically inhaling their meal, Max and Chloe were almost finished when they all heard the front door open and close with a _bang_.

"David?" Joyce asked, looking over and signaling for Max and Chloe to stay calm. "That you?"

"Uh-huh. What's that I smell? You make pancakes?" David walked into the kitchen and looked at the griddle for a moment before turning his attention to the two girls seated with his wife. His eyes narrowed slightly when he recognized Max, the pinkette matching his expression with her own eyes narrowed. " _You._ "

"David, this is-" Joyce started to say before David cut her off.

"I know who she is. The new troublemaker at that damn school. What do you think you're doing in my home? I don't like delinquents abusing my wife's hospitality," David said as he stared Max down.

"Max is _not_ a troublemaker, _David_ ," Chloe interjected, shooting her mother a pleading look, " _You_ tried to search her bag just because she looks different and because you're hella paranoid. Besides, she was my friend _long_ before Mom dragged you into this house."

" _My_ house," David corrected Chloe, crossing his arms as he eyed both girls suspiciously.

" _Mom's_ house," Chloe shot back, "It's in _her_ name, _David_."

Hearing Chloe get to her feet, Max was about to do the same when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder to keep her seated. Max looked over at Joyce with a pleading expression but wilted as she saw the pained, tired expression on Joyce's face look back at her. _I knew they fought, but Joyce looks like it's a daily thing. Good Dog, Chlo, how often do you fucking end up like this?_

"Max is my guest, and my friend. She can stay if she wants. You want to stay, right?" Chloe moved to stand next to the seated Max, looking down as the anxious-looking pinkette quickly nodded in reply. "See? She wants to stay."

Max watched David's arms swing down to his sides, watched as his hands clenched and unclenched. _Please don't fight! I don't fucking need this!_ Max hoped that things wouldn't escalate, but felt the hand Chloe had placed on her shoulder tense. _Fuck, she saw him clench his fists._

"J-Joyce, if you need me to leave-" Max started to say, holding one arm with her other hand only to wince as Chloe's hand clamped onto her shoulder even tighter, "Ow, Chloe!"

The slight outburst of pain from Max snapped Chloe out of her building anger as she watched David, the blue-haired girl looking down as tension melted into worry as she quickly let go of Max's shoulder. Seeing the compassionate look in her friend's eyes, Max squeezed Chloe's hand and smiled nervously at her as she flicked her gaze over at a brooding David.Max mouthed _Should I stay?_ to Chloe only to get a _Hella yes_ in reply, Max responding with a sigh as she put the palm of her free hand to her forehead.

Chloe yanked Max to her feet, surprising Max, as she pulled the pinkette along behind her from the dinner table and up the stairs. Closing and locking her bedroom door, Chloe let Max's hand go and pressed herself against the door as she listened for signs of David following. Hearing Joyce trying to calm David down, Chloe smirking at the mildly chiding tone in her mom's voice, Chloe turned around to see a crestfallen Max standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"You okay?" Max heard Chloe ask her, the pinkette only responding with a nod as she moved to sit on the edge of Chloe's bed.

Max felt an arm wrap around her shoulder as Chloe joined her on the bed, her friend leaning a blue-haired head on Max's shoulder. Max felt her heart thundering in her chest, her anxiety so high she was afraid she'd start to hyperventilate, and closed her eyes as she practiced the breathing exercises her last social worker had taught her. _One of the few good things to come out of that place_ , Max thought as she felt her body begin to settle down, _They want to make sure you're at least somewhat able to fuction._ Opening her eyes, Max pulled out her phone and looked at the time. It was still relatively early, but Max was feeling increasingly drained from all the melodrama playing out around her. She wasn't used to getting into other people's issues; it was one of the reasons she'd tried avoiding personal attachments to people, Rachel Amber being a rare exception.

"I think I just want to fucking lie down, Che," Max said as she looked at Chloe, the other girl sitting alongside Max, "That cool? I'm just _not_ used to so much…"

"Drama?"

"Yeah. It sounds shitty, but it's true. You weren't kidding when you said he was an asshole."

"Sure, Max," Chloe's tone was softer as she laid down on the bed, kicking off her boots as she gestured for Max to join her, "I'm wired, but I'll curl up with you till you fall asleep. Didn't realize your bedtime came so ridiculously early. Pink-haired baby _nerd_."

"Stop," Max said, too tired to really put an effort into her rebuttal against Chloe's teasing, "…Will you…will you hold me? Like when we were up here earlier?"

"What was so special about that?"

"You, you fucking jerk."

" _Oh_. Well, since you asked so _fucking_ nicely, sure. C'mere, Maxaroni."

Max felt the same arm that had protected her earlier wrap around her once more, the same heartbeat from before lure her into a sense of calm as the tension from downstairs slowly ebbed away. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of being so vulnerable, even around Chloe, but a small part of her was growing to like having someone to rely on. _The kissing isn't exactly bad, either._ Max let out a contented sigh as she nuzzled herself against Chloe, letting sleep come to her as she was watched over by the blue-haired girl who had come to her rescue. For the first time since coming back, Max felt like she had a _real_ home to come back to.

 **Author's Note –**

 **Not gonna lie. I like the slower pace that I'm taking with this story. The vampire AU was redonkulous amounts of fun, but I dropped event after event into it. Sure, the material kind-of required it. Doing a "normal human story", however, allows me to work my creative muscles without the aid of a supernatural element to push things that would otherwise not be able to fit. Hence, the slower pace, the greater an emphasis on the flawed humanity, and the increasingly detailed characterizations. I like where this is headed, and I hope you do as well :D**

 **Next chapter will have some action – remember, Chloe and Max are headed to a mini-tournament in Portland and you'll never know** _ **who else**_ **might show up ;)**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you in five! Five meaning chapter 5, not five as in five minutes. I have no fucking clue where any of you live…really, I don't…**

 **Muahahaha…?**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls**


	5. Chapter 5

**Loneliness is Worse**

 **Song by Veruca Salt**

Max sat in her dorm room as she tried to hurry up the progress of her homework. Normally something of a procrastinator, Max found herself in the odd position of having to wrap everything up ahead of her usual schedule if she wanted to start her second week of Blackwell off right _and_ go with Chloe to the fight in Portland. _I'm a photographer. Why, math, why? I know you, you know me, it just won't fucking work out between us. Can't we just agree to be civil and part ways?_ Max dropped her head onto her desk in resignation as she closed her laptop to make the formulas displayed go away.

"Noooooooo!" Max smirked at her Darth Vader impression as she envisioned the numbers and symbols of her math assignment crying out as the display winked off.

Stretching, Max looked at her phone for the time. She had an hour before Chloe _said_ she would swing by to pick her up. Electing to get ready _first_ and vape some _after_ , Max snatched her bag of toiletries from the top of her dresser and headed down towards the showers. The hallway was fairly desolate in midday, either people out of their rooms or shutting themselves in. Looking over at Kate's door, Max thought about asking if her friend would like to go to a fight before snickering at the idea of Kate tagging along to an underground fight.

"The look on her face would almost be worth it," Max said to herself as she came around the corner and entered the shower room.

Enjoying the privacy of having the room to herself, Max went into the stall furthest from the door and quickly showered before making her way back to her room. She enjoyed moments like this; despite enjoying being back in an actual school, she also valued her isolation from others and the outside world. Going through her wardrobe, Max tried to decide what to wear when she heard someone approach her door. Hearing a quiet knocking, Max leaned over from her closet and eyed her door with a curious look.

"Uh, what?" Max asked, hearing only another knock in reply. "Dude. What the fuck do you want? I'm kinda-mostly-sorta naked, yo."

Hearing whoever was on the other side giggle, Max rolled her eyes and quickly dressed: black leggings, shorts, a pink tank-top, and a black hoodie. Tying her combat boots on slowly, Max looked up with a grin as the person on the other side of her door intermittently knocked.

"Getting tired yet?" The question directed at whoever was on the other side of her door, Max laughed when the knock finally turned into a fist leveled at her door. She had figured out who it was a few minutes ago as she had vaped while getting dressed. "Come in, Che. I know it is you, you fucking brat."

"Dude," Chloe said as she walked in, already in her typical fighting gear of athletic shorts and sleeveless hoodie. Eyeing Max with an approving look, Chloe's expression quickly went sour as she closed the door, "You had me wait out there for minutes, Max. _Minutes. Me. Waiting._ "

"I told you I was pretty much naked and getting dressed. You're my friend, but you don't peep show privileges," Max teased as she stomped her booted feet to ensure the fit of her footwear was just right. The she owned steel-toe boots weren't always the most cooperative when it came to comfort. Looking up from her feet to see Chloe watching in amusement, Max went to her camera bag and showed off the military pepper spray before dropping back in its hideaway.

"Getting ready for war, Caulfield?" Chloe asked as she sat on Max's bed.

"I'm always prepared, Price. Just get a kick sometimes out of showing it off. Some people freak the fuck out and I get a kick out of that."

"Troublemaker."

"Pfff, whatever. Go get a concussion tonight and I'll fill you in on what happened today. Y'know, because brain damage." Max stuck her tongue out at Chloe, winking as she walked back over to her desk.

Grabbing her vape, Max took a single puff and blew a ring from the vapor in Chloe's direction. Chloe snickered at Max's laid back attitude, the pink-haired girl flashing her friend a sly grin as she skipped over to her bed and straddled Chloe. Leaning over Chloe, their faces inches apart, Max took a longer puff of her vape and pressed her lips to Chloe's with a mischievous light in her eyes. Shotgunning Chloe with the vapor, Max felt the tension in Chloe's body lighten a bit at the touch of her lips on the bluenette's.

"…How was that?" Max asked as she slid off Chloe's lap to sit next to her friend, a small puff of vapor escaping her mouth as she spoke. "Heh, I'm a dragon."

"Vapes are alright but I like the real thing hella more, Max. Another reason to get stoked for Portland! You ready?" Chloe got to her feet and wiped at her waist, making disgusted faces at Max only to get a double-bird from Max in reply.

"Gimme a sec," Max said as she stood and walked over to her mirror and made sure that she looked okay. Pulling a black beanie out of her hoodie's pocket, Max ran a hand through her hair before pulling the beanie on. Grabbing her camera bag, Max took a quick inventory before giving Chloe a satisfied nod.

"Your chariot fucking awaits, Maximillian." Chloe opened Max's door with a bow, not catching Max's kiss to her cheek until it happened. "What…what was that for?"

"Because sometimes you're tough as hell, and other times you're the sweetest girl I've ever known," Max said matter-of-factly, walking backwards to catch Chloe's reaction as the bluenette closed her dorm room up. Seeing a slight redness come across Chloe's cheeks, Max smiled playfully with her nose scrunched before she cried out in laughter and made a run for the stairway doors as Chloe ran after her. "Walk, don't run! You have longer legs, so no goddamn fair! Aaahhhhhh!"

Nearly breaking the door down as she sprinted out into the courtyard, Max tried in vain to escape Chloe as the other girl came hurtling out behind the pinkette. Max had tried to make a run for the breezeway only for Chloe to rapidly close the distance and lift her off the ground. Screaming in surprise as she felt her feet come out from under her, Max's instant of terror dissolved into laughter as Chloe spun her around some before letting her down. Falling to the ground out of dizziness, Max had snickered until she felt her face grow hot when Chloe bent down over her. Being on the receiving end of getting straddled upon, Max gulped and looked around what she could see of the campus while her snicker turned into a nervous laugh.

"Uh…v-very cute, Che. Now let me up. Seriously. Right now, Chloe-" Max felt the words she had thought to say disappear as Chloe's lips softly fell onto her own for a moment before Chloe pulled back only to kiss her a second time. _We're lying on the ground, outside my building, and Chloe decides 'Hey, this is a hella good place to pin Max to the ground and make the fuck out!' I'm not_ really _complaining. I just don't need to give Victoria and her Vortex minions any further goddamn ammo. Thank Dog the yard is deserted._ Tapping gently on Chloe's shoulder, Max felt her friend pull back with reluctance that was only further elaborate upon by the pout on Chloe's face.

"I just don't want the wrong people here to have more fuel with which to fuck me over," Max explained, trying to look apologetic.

"Whoa," a voice said from the gate leading out to the breezeway, drawing the attention of both girls, "Oh! Uh, sorry."

Gently shoving Chloe off of her, Max sat up and looked at the boy watching them with a surprised look on her face. Sandy-colored hair, _Doctor Who_ shirt and jeans, the boy didn't seem to know if he should be embarrassed or curious. Unfortunately, his awkwardness was perfectly obvious as it spread to Max and Chloe. Lifting up a hand, Max let Chloe pull her to her feet before shoving the bluenette once more time for emphasis.

"Thanks, Chloe." Max's irritation was as obvious as the boy's sheepish embarrassment. "Uh, sorry about that. We were just messing around. I'm Max…hello? You alive in there?"

"Sure, Max. 'Just messin' around'," Chloe said with her arms crossed as she joined Max in observing the suddenly oblivious boy standing before them. "I hope he's not letting his fucking imagination run away with him. Hella creepy."

"Oh, sorry!" the boy cried out as he became aware of the eyes watching him, "Just kinda took a second to process. I'm Warren. Warren Graham."

Taking the boy's outstretched hand in her own, Max felt him keep the grip a moment longer than she would have liked but paid it little attention. _Dude's traumatized. PDAs can be killer to brain cells, sometimes._ Telling Warren that there really wasn't anything going on, Max felt Chloe eyeball her from behind with each affirmation that they had "just been messing around". Rolling her eyes as she heard the faint sound of a _humph_ coming from Chloe, Max quickly apologized a final time before taking Chloe's arm and pulling the taller girl out into the breezeway and through the main courtyard.

 _Max came to and found herself in the middle of a dense forest, wind howling as rain pelted her face. Feeling the increasingly wet dirt of a well-worn path beneath her, Max clawed at the fresh mud and struggled to her feet._ Where am I, _Max thought as she blinked her eyes repeatedly from the disorientation,_ Where is here _?_

 _Looking around for some kind of landmark, Max looked out to where the tree line seemed to vanish a short distance to her left and watched as lightning struck whatever lay beyond the forest. Jumping at the crash of thunder, Max nervously held her arm with the other hand and darted her eyes around to try and make sense of what was happening before her. She hadn't heard of any storm in the news, not like the one she found herself in. Trying to remember what she had been doing before, Max shook her head as all her memories seemed to jumble and melt into each other._ Ugh, I can't make sense of anything! What the hell is going on?

 _Trying to decide whether she should walk up the trail or down it, Max felt that something was making the decision for her as a boulder came hurtling down the path in her direction. Awkwardly jumping out of the way, Max could have sworn she saw someone further up the hill and started to climb in pursuit. Narrowly dodging a falling tree after it was struck by a bolt of lightning, Max looked behind her and furrowed her brow in confusion._ What…what is that?

 _The area behind her seemed to be what Max could only think of as out of focus, like a lens had been inaccurately aligned and the world behind her was distorted in a blurry haze. At first thinking that it was the rain and the wind playing a trick on her, Max squinted to focus her own eyes and saw that whatever it was seemed to be moving closer towards her. Eyes widening as she watched a bird fly straight into the distortion, Max saw the bird's wings seem to slow to a crawl like time itself was being frozen. Nearly slipping as she spun around, Max grabbed at a nearby railing and used the metal support to balance herself before making as fast of a dash up the hill as she possibly could._

 _Reaching the hilltop, Max recognized the wreckage of her surroundings from better days. Looking to her left, Max saw the tree stump she and Chloe had carved their names into a few months before everything had gone to shit in Arcadia Bay._ I left not too long after. We had come here, pretending to be…pirates, I think? Yeah _, Max thought. Shielding her eyes with her raised left arm, Max walked over to the tree stump and brushed the fingers of her right hand across the worn out markings._

 _"Chloe and Max, 2008. BFF Pirates."_ _The storm seemed to fizzle out of Max's perception for a moment as looked upon the carving with a faint smile playing across her face. The illusion of calm was broken as a rock was whipped at the side of Max's head, jarring the pink-haired girl and reintroducing her to the storm. Getting back to her feet, Max stood at the map of Arcadia Bay and realized where she was._ I'm at the lighthouse. This is…but, I wasn't _in_ Arcadia Bay a moment ago. I was…where was I?

 _Looking down to the coastline, Max felt her jaw drop at the horrific sight laid out before her eyes. A tornado was ripping through the town, making landfall and wreaking havoc across the beachfront. Watching as buildings and vehicles were torn apart and plucked from the ground, Max felt her chest begin to seize as her anxiety kicked into overdrive. Feeling the map board rattle underneath her hands, Max backed away only to narrowly avoid the display getting pried from its legs as it was sent flying by the strong winds. Bending herself down into a half-crouch, Max continued to shield her face as she peered behind her arm to see what looked to her like a person standing at the bench right in front of the cliff's edge._

 _Shouting for the person to get away from where they were, Max's eyes widened even further as the person seemed to disappear entirely._ What the fuck was that?! _Max started to make her way towards the bench, her arm getting hit over and over with small pieces of debris. With her eyes focusing only on the bench and her view obstructed by the arm she was using as a shield, Max missed the sight of a boat being lifted from the pier as it seemed to be aimed directly for her location. Max's senses caught the speeding projectile a moment too late, her head snapping up to see the boat colliding with the lighthouse. Frozen in shock as the boat came crashing down mere inches from where she stook, Max could only watch as the lighthouse lantern seemed to rock in place for a few seconds before coming hurtling down towards her._

 _"No!" Max cried out as the lantern came at her, small arms raised to deflect what would be impossible to shield herself against._

"Max! Max, you're having a fucking nightmare! Wake up, dude!"

Her eyes still closed, Max was jarred from the darkness by the sensation of a hand clamped on her arm as it shook at her. Sounds accompanying the sensation of touch shortly thereafter, Max felt her eyes stir as she peered out into blurry surroundings. Her body stirring as she began to wake up further, Max felt the alien hand release its hold as her eyes focused. _I'm in Chloe's truck. Was that…was that a dream? It felt so real…_ , Max thought as she tentatively stretched. Looking out the windshield for as her disorientation faded, Max thought she saw a blue butterfly seem to almost float in front the truck before disappearing as Chloe sped down the highway. Her memories returning, Max felt heat press upon her cheeks as the recollection of the events earlier at school came to mind. Remembering the awkwardness following as she and Chloe had not spoken after leaving a confused Warren in the courtyard, Max looked over to see Chloe glancing over at her from the driver's side.

"Yeah?" Max asked, still drowsy and worn from whatever it was that had been her dream.

"…Are we just messing around, Max?" Chloe asked, her tone equal parts brittle and wounded, "I mean, our previous kisses didn't exactly _feel_ like just goofing off…"

"I-I didn't know what else to say, Chlo," Max put a hand to her temple as she winced from Chloe's feelings being hurt. _Way to hurtle straight in, Che. I've been awake for seconds, and you're going for the jugular._ "I don't even _know_ that guy, but gossip fucking spreads like crazy at school and at this point I feel like I have few friends there as it is. Besides, you're the one who said that we could just take whatever _is_ going on between us as it comes."

"Uh-huh." Seeing that Chloe was obviously dissatisfied with her answer, Max sighed and turned in her seat to face her dejected Che.

"Che, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm just not the most open person when it comes to displaying my feelings, let alone in public. You're hurting, too. You should know what I mean." Max internally swore at herself for having to go so far as to essentially plead for Chloe to understand, but she also knew that both of them were kind-of volatile at the moment.

"…Max, I do get it. It's just…you mean a lot to me, that's all."

"You mean a lot to _me_ , Che." Leaning over to put a hand on Chloe's shoulder, Max thought about giving her friend a small kiss on the cheek but reconsidered and just squeezed the shoulder slightly before sliding back into her seat.

Pulling into the bar's parking lot, Max and Chloe paused in going their separate ways as a small crowd began to build outside the front door. Squeezing Chloe's hand, Max felt comfortable enough after the drive and their brief talk to give the bluenette a small peck on the cheek. Watching Chloe go in through the back entrance that had been made available for the evening's fighters, Max stuffed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and walked around the corner towards the sidewalk to stand in line. Popping one earbud in, Max swayed and bobbed her head as her music played. Getting lost in the rhythm, Max felt herself calm down a bit more from the events earlier in the day after a few songs. She liked kissing Chloe, and she had no problem doing so, but the pink-haired punkster felt conflicted about her own emotions. _Do I like Chloe…like_ that _? Honest-to-Dog, I wish someone would make up my damn mind for me. Ugh!_ It was the public display of affection that made her feel so open, so vulnerable.

Chloe was different than the other people she'd been with; Max felt a closeness that went beyond anyone else she had an attachment to. When Chloe held her, when Chloe teased her, Max felt like the oxygen left her and her anxiety skyrocketed. _Even Rachel never got as close as Che has. Maybe it's because we grew up together, but there's just something pulling at me whenever I see Che. It's like we're magnets or something. Wowsers, I'm getting all worked up now just thinking about it._ Feeling her heart in her chest pound a little harder, Max shook her head at what she thought of as a schoolgirl crush. Oblivious to the world as she processed her thoughts, Max didn't notice the girl creeping up behind her until a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Aghh, what the _fuck_?!" Max's shout jolted some of the other people waiting in line, but Max was too busy turning around and staring at the source of her surprise to care. A grin began to form on Max's face as the pang of terror melted into a pleasant surprise. "Oh my _Dog,_ Rach! That was not…what are you…uh, hi!"

"Maaaax!" Rachel pounced on Max, wrapping the pink-haired girl in a loving hug as both girls grinned being together once more. "I knew you'd be here!"

"How did you manage that? You suddenly psychic?" Max asked, a little incredulous but nonetheless _very_ excited to see the girl she had grown up with over the past five years.

"Nah, though that would be _insane_. I saw the card for tonight's fights and remembered you telling me about your friend. Girl with blue hair that was the kickboxer you were so excited about, the one you were hanging with before you left? Sooooo…here I am! Happy to see me, Maxie?" Watching Rachel strike a pose to present herself, Max snorted. _I_ am _happy to see you, Rach. It's just kind-of fucking surprising, that's all._

"Of course I am! Just _really_ surprised that's all. Also," Max added before lightly punching Rachel in the shoulder, "Don't fucking jump me like that! You _know_ my usual reaction to that shit! Hella stupid, Rach."

Rachel Amber winced as she rubbed at her shoulder, but smile in apology before planting a kiss on Max's cheek while they were allowed entrance to the club. The large room was dimly lit with a smattering of table lamps, a large space carved out in the middle and taped off with a makeshift ring being assembled inside. Max smirked as she pointed out Chloe to Rachel, the blue-haired girl helping in the assembly. Leaving Rachel to get the three of them something to drink, Max walked over and leaned against a post on her side of the tape.

Whistling, Max caught the attention of the fighters helping to set up for the tournament and saw a smile flash across Chloe's face. Her kickboxing friend saying something to another girl before coming over, Max felt the grin she'd had on her face stretch into a full-blown grin as she saw the excited look on Chloe's face. Reaching the tape, Chloe playfully looked like she was peeking through the randomly stretched caution material when Max grabbed her by the hoodie and bent her down into a long kiss. Max knew how contradictory she was, it was in her nature. She gave, she took, but she didn't want to be that way with Chloe. Max didn't quite understand why, but she _wanted_ to be open with Chloe. _Give my time, Che, and I'll show you that your shy, cliché geek is still in here._

"What happened to PDAs being bad?" Chloe asked, a little breathless as Max let go of the hoodie. The blue-haired girl received a quick peck on the lips before Max answered, both girls blushing as some of the patrons and fighters whistled and hollered at their kissing.

"Uh, f-fuck it?" Max stammered, starting to withdraw back into her shell only to get a peck on her lips from Chloe. Eyes widening as she felt herself begin to get flustered from the scattered cheering and people egging them on, Max turned around and flipped off no one in particular only to get more laughter. "Goddamnit, s'not funny!"

"It's a little funny, Max," Rachel said as she arrived where the other two girls were with a bottle of water and a couple cans of cherry soda, "Ridiculously cute, but funny. Chloe, right? I'm Rachel." Chloe took the outstretched hand and looked at the newcomer suspiciously. Max couldn't help but notice the look on Chloe's as she almost seemed to be glaring at Rachel.

"Chloe? You okay?" Breaking Chloe's concentration, Max felt a measure of ease when some of the excitability from moments before returned to her blue-haired friend's eyes.

"Dude, tonight is going to be fucking _epic_!" Chloe cried out as she weaved her way through the tape to take the proffered water from Rachel. "The pot tonight looks pretty good, and not as many fighters have showed up as I had expected. Might have a shot at this."

"From what Max has told me, you probably have this in the bag," Rachel said, toasting Chloe with her can of soda as Max watched them interact. _Rachel seems her usual chill self, but there's something up with Chloe,_ Max thought as she glanced from Chloe to Rachel and back again. _Maybe she's just on edge. She_ is _fighting tonight. That's probably it._

"Yeah, I…oh, fuck. Hey, I'll see you two later," Chloe blurted out. Max gave Chloe a puzzled look as the kickboxer retreated back behind the tape and walked into the locker room.

Looking behind her, Max scanned the growing mass of people to try and find whatever had spooked her friend. _I can't see much of shit with this lighting_. _Also, aside from Chloe and Rachel, I don't know anybody here._ Squinting as she tried to get another look at some of the patrons, Max thought she saw someone eyeing the direction Chloe had gone. Trying to get a better look, Max started to move towards the bar only to watch the suspicious person fade into the crowd. _What the fuck was that about_?

"Your friend alright, Maxie?" Rachel asked as Max joined her at a small table next to a railguard separating the spectators and the fighters' area.

"I don't know. She's probably just jumpy," Max said before eyeing the unopened can of soda, "Where's the beer?"

"We're underage, dumbass, and this isn't Seattle. Nobody knows us, let alone well enough to actually risk selling us booze."

"Booooooo." Max laughed as she saw Rachel stick her tongue out in response. She felt herself slip into a comfortability that was easy to reach when she was with Rachel and they were out together. "So, what has the 'Great and Powerful Rach' been up to?"

"Well," Rachel said as she downed the last of her soda, "If you must know, I have been working on my modeling shots. I still work at the coffee shop _you_ quit, and I've been getting some shoots done."

"Tasteful, I hope," Max said, wincing at the idea of Rachel having to pose for some lecherous creepr.

"Relax, Mama Max. All PG-13."

"Which means jack and shit. Where do you come from, the 80s? PG-13 can still mean tits and ass, Rachel." Max leaned over their table and looked Rachel square in the eye. "I'm serious, Sis. Please…please be careful."

"I am, Max. _I am_." Rachel's emphatic insistence upon seeing Max's face did little to alleviate the pinkette's worry, but Max let it slide. In the end, both girls knew that Rachel would do whatever Rachel wanted to do. It was what had gotten them kicked out of more than one place over the years they spent together.

Some of the lights in the fighters' area were switched off and both girls put their hands to their mouths and let out cries of excitement as the tournament began to start. Seeing the ring announcer and referee enter, Max turned her seat so that she was facing the area directly as the tape was taken down by some of the fighters. Seeing Chloe make a beeline straight for where she and Rachel were sitting, Max leapt to her feet for a moment to give her friend a kiss.

"For luck," Max whispered into Chloe's ear as she pulled down on the kickboxer's hoodie one more time, "Not that you'll need it."

"Have I mentioned how much I like it when you're like this?" Chloe's response got a slight giggle from Max before the punkster let go of the hoodie and sat back down in her chair. Seeing the look of slight disappointment on Chloe's face, Max gave her a wink and blew her a kiss with the reward of Chloe's expression brightening somewhat as the fighters were assembled next to the ring.

"You're really digging her, huh?" Rachel asked, leaning over the table so that Max could hear her over the loudspeaker being used by the announcer.

"…S-shut up," Max stuttered, but she had to admit it was true. There was something about her childhood friend that made her feel like she could just be herself: punk, hipster, and geek. Making a point of looking back toward the ring as the first match began, Max glanced over to see Rachel shooting her a wry smile before joining Max in watching the fighters start. _Good Dog, Rachel, sometimes you need to mind your own fucking business. Wowsers._

While Rachel cheered and shouted in excitement with the rest of the crowd, Max waited impatiently for Chloe's bout to start. Seeing a mess of blue hair poke in and out of the doorway leading back to the locker room area, Max felt like she was being slowly roasted by her own skin due to the flashes of heat she'd experience at the thought of Chloe. When the blue-haired kickboxer finally came out for her first match, Max was oblivious to everyone else in the bar as she leapt to her feet and begin to scream in excitement. Watching Chloe's first opponent climb into the ring, Max flipped off the people behind her before sitting down, not wanting to get distracted by their heckling.

The match went a few rounds, Chloe's opponent more evenly matched than any of the other fights Max had seen her friend in. They had circled each other around the ring a few times before both fighters had drawn in to strike. Chloe's opponent, Max couldn't remember the guy's name, had managed to level Chloe with a right cross that made the taller girl stagger a couple feet before Max's friend gained her footing. Guarding her face from another attack, Chloe blocked her opponent's strikes before snapping a kick into the person's ribs. Max watched the guy seem to fold a bit to the side as he tried to catch his breath only to wince. _Dog, who the fuck does Chloe train with aside from a heavy bag and a dummy? She's smiling, despite taking a fist to her face!_

After dodging and guarding against each other's hits during the remainder of the first round, the second had been fairly strategic on both fighters' parts. Trying to protect herself as much as possible, Chloe had blocked a kick with one of her own only to snap a right jab at her opponent. Max let out a furious howl as blood from the guy's nose seemed to arc above his head when it jerked back. Screaming "Fuck yeah, Che!", Max couldn't help but laugh when she saw the smirk on Chloe's face as the kickboxer had heard the little pinkette's cry. Watching Chloe's opponent fall against the ropes, Max thought the fight was pretty much done until he sprang back into the ring. Ducking from Chloe's own right cross, he connected with Chloe's midsection with a series of right and left jabs. Max thought she might pull her own hair out as she watched Chloe shudder under each punch only to fall to her knees on the mat. _Don't TKO, don't TKO, don't TKO…_ came to Max's mind as she watched Chloe stop herself from heaving before getting back onto her feet.

From that point, Chloe was almost exclusively offensive. Not willing to give her opponent any further opportunities, Chloe began to level kicks and punches repetitively, and Max saw a ferocity in her friend's eyes that she had not yet witness.

"She's fucking nuts!" Rachel yelled at Max as both girls watched Chloe land hit after hit only to spring back a couple steps to avoid her opponent's strikes.

"She's fucking _pissed_!" Max shot back, remembering the smile she saw on Chloe's face from whenever bullies had come at either her or Chloe. _Back at the playground, Che?_

The third round ended almost right after it started. Chloe stalked toward her opponent and leapt up. Connecting with a jumping spin kick, Chloe brought her foot down and across her opponent's face with a scream of irritation and everyone in the bar winced as her opponent flopped onto the mat with a resounding _thud_. Hearing Chloe's ring moniker, "Blue Storm!", called out in victory, Max clapped excitedly as Chloe grabbed a towel hanging off a bench at ringside and came over to where she and Rachel were sitting. Chloe smiled cheerily at Max as she leaned on the guardrail, with Max only being able to laugh at the ludicrous picture of her ferocious kickboxer being so sweet after such a devastating win.

"You're fucking nuts!" Max echoing Rachel's earlier words elicited a laugh from both girls and Chloe smiled a little in Rachel's direction before she wiped at her sweating face as she returned her attention to Max.

"When this is over, do you want to…do you want to get something to eat?" Chloe asked only for Max to signal that she had to speak up. Pulling Max closer so that she could whisper her question to the punkster's ear, Max felt her cheeks flush but also knew that she was smiling at the idea. _Like…like a date?_

"L-Like a date…?" Max's words echoed her thoughts. Getting only a nod from Chloe, Max could see the warm smile playing on Rachel's face as her adoptive sister silently encouraged her. "O-Okay. Sure, Che, I'd like that."

Being pulled in for a kiss, Max tried not to giggle as the fluttering in her stomach seemed to spread through her entire body. _Of all the damn times you could ask me something like that, you do it after you kicked someone's head in? Sweet Jeebus, Chloe, you have zero tact. Violent fucking dork._

"Oh gross, Che!" Max recoiled from the kiss for a moment as Chloe looked at Max's reaction with a disappointed pout, "Dude, you got popped in the face and your breath tastes like _blood_. Why…oh, don't give me that look, Chloe Price. Awww…fine, _ugh_ , c'mere."

Max felt Chloe smile as their lips reconnected, Chloe smartly keeping her mouth shut the second time around. _How considerate_ now, _Che. Yeesh, blood breath._ _Ew._ Wrapping her arms around Chloe's waist as she began to mentally dissolve in the warmth and heat Chloe was projecting, Max opened her eyes and looked up at her friend in wonder. _You're amazing, Che. I…I should tell you that. Yeah, I should._ Before Max could speak, Chloe broke their physicality and apologetically smiled as she had to head back into the locker room. Nodding sympathetically, Max waved at Chloe as the bluenette disappeared behind the swinging door.

"A date, huh?" Rachel teased as the next fight started, "You're a fucking goober, Max. That girl is clearly head-over-heels for you. I mean, did you _see_ the look she shot me earlier? Lady's got a hella crush on you, Maxie."

"I know."

"Yeah, _now_ you know. Sometimes you're so damn dim, locked up tight in yourself. Max, I love you. You're my sister and I love you, but you make it so hard sometimes for people to reach you. The _real_ you," Rachel pointed out as she gestured with a hand towards Max, " _This_ isn't all that you are and we both know that. I still have The Captain in my bedroom, for fuck's sake. Oh, that reminds me! I have some of your photos that you must've forgot!"

Max took the banded stack of photos from Rachel and weighed them in her hands. Looking down at the first one, Max saw the shot of her father and her at Max's first hockey game. She remembered the excitement and the fun being in the arena with her dad. In a moment of indulgence, her dad went and bought her a jersey as a memento before getting someone else in the stands to take a picture of him and Max together. The memories welled up into tears as Max felt something hot streak down from her eyes and onto her cheeks. Seeing Rachel start to reach out toward her, Max flinched at the attempted contact and just continued to go through each picture.

 _Me, Mom, and Dad from my birthday shortly after we got to Seattle. Me at the Space Needle. The…oh_ fuck _, it's the first picture I took with my Polaroid. The shot from the back seat of our car. They…they were gone only minutes after this…_ fuck _._ Rising out of her seat as she slipped the bundle of printed memories into her bag, Max hastily excused herself to Rachel as she told the worried brunette that she needed some air. Weaving her way through the crowd, Max looked over for a moment to see the guy that had been eyeing Chloe earlier now looking directly at her. Flipping him the bird while mouthing _Fuck you_ , Max watched his eyes narrow only for a couple seconds before looking away.

Making her way outside, Max rounded the corner and leaned against Chloe's truck when she made it to the parking lot. Hiding herself between the wall of another building and the front of the old vehicle, Max crouched down and began to sob as the 13 year-old girl still inside her dragged her 18 year-old self into memories that had been buried for a long time. Max didn't even _like_ thinking about her parents; Arcadia Bay had been a test of struggling against reminders. Being with Chloe and Kate had pushed those reminders to the back of her mind, and Max was thankful every day for that. _I know Rach meant well, but Jesus fuck. This…this is just too goddamn much…_ Wiping at her face, Max heard approaching footsteps and peered over the truck's hood to see Chloe walking over with her keys dangling in her hand.

"Max…?" Chloe asked, mildly surprised as she saw a crown of pink hair peek out from behind her truck, her face growing serious when she saw the puffiness in Max's eyes and the wetness of tears. Max chastised herself, someone having caught her in the middle of bawling. "Max, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm…I'm f-fine, Che," Max snapped, but realized that it was futile to try and lie. _Chloe's not buying such a weak answer._ "Please don't worry, Chlo. It's just…j-just…"

Chloe came around to the front of the truck and offered her open arms to Max, the pinkette surprising both of them by running straight into the offering of an embrace. Feeling an overwhelming urge to just drop all her facades and walls, keeping them in the face of such emotion being futile to Max, she resumed her sobbing as she felt a taped hand rub her back while Chloe whispered kind things into Max's ear. Trying to breathe between sobs, Max felt her breath catch in her throat only to nearly choke in alarm as she saw the guy from inside cross the parking lot towards herself and Chloe.

"Where's my goddamn money, Chloe?" the man said with a mild snarl before noticing who Chloe was with, "Well, if it isn't 'Ms. Stink-Eye.' Fuck you right back, you little pink shit."

"Chill, dude. I'm working on your money right fucking now. I've got some cash on the fight and I'll pay you back what I owe," Max heard Chloe say in reply, the bluenette pulling Max behind her, "Leave us the fuck alone."

"You've owed me for too damn long, girl. Do you know how many times you've told me you will pay me back? You're going to give me whatever cash you have on you _right now_. Matter of fact, so is your creepy little girlfriend."

"Back the fuck off, Frank! She didn't do anything to you!"

"She's with you. That's enough to get her in trouble."

Max saw the faint bulge in Frank's jacket as he reached into it, looked around Chloe's shoulder to see her friend realize what was about to happen. Thrusting her hand out, Chloe tried to grab at the descending hand as Frank took hold of what was inside his jacket. The seconds after Chloe reached out seemed to dwindle for Max, like a movie playing in slow-motion as Chloe shoved her back and out of Frank's line of sight before a loud _bang!_ went off. Max watched in mute horror as Chloe began to fall towards the ground, a wide-eyed Frank looking down at the fallen Chloe for what felt like forever before he started to level his revolver at Max. Not knowing what else to do, Max reached out her hand in futility to try and block the bullet.

Max felt like she had been shot in the head, something seeming to pull within her skull as a tendril of pain snaked its way from her brain to her spine. Her eyes clenched shut as the agony briefly overwhelmed her, Max opened her eyes and looked up to see her hand grabbing the collar of Chloe's hoodie as they kissed. Chloe backpedaled with a grin on her face as she headed back toward the locker room, leaving a stunned Max looking around in confusion as to what was going on.

"A date, huh?" Rachel teased as the next fight started, "You're a fucking goober, Max. That girl is clearly head-over-heels for you…whoa, Maxie. Your nose is bleeding. You okay?"

Max felt her head get incredibly light for a moment before her body began to crumple to the floor. Max's last thoughts as she descended into unconsciousness, _Did I just go back in time?_ , echoing as the world seemed to fade away…

 **Author's Note –**

 **I can't do dailies for the time being. After doing so for nearly a month and a half with no actual break, I'm hella beat. It just means that after over 300,000 words in 40-something days, I need to step back some and actually spend time away from the computer. With "Intersecting Worlds, Interconnected Hearts", I was spending the whole day writing and rewriting each chapter as they got progressively bigger and I have other things going on in my life that I have been neglecting. This doesn't mean you won't get multiple updates a week, Cinnamon Rolls, but it** _ **does**_ **mean you won't get 7+ updates a week. It also does not mean that I won't drop** _ **two**_ **pieces of content on you in one day sometimes. My tentative schedule is to update "Fighters" on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On the weekend I will drop a one-shot or part of a two-parter (Blind Date's follow-up is the goal for this weekend).**

 **I know a lot of you really _really_ enjoyed the idea of getting content from me on a daily basis and I can only hope that you will stick around despite that coming to an end for the time being. I really do love hearing from all of you and talking to you. ****I want to continue to enjoy creating these stories. Feeling like I have an obligation to put content out is kinda killing some of the fun. Some of the past releases, I've been mentally stretched thin and running pretty much on everybody's kind words to keep me enthused. That said…how about the return of my cliffhangers, eh? Muahahahahaha!**

 **Things will being to pick up from here. Events that happened in the game so far will occur in this story with new twists and consequences. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you all for the next chapter!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Don't Mess With Me**

 **Song by Brody Dalle**

"Max?!"

 _Ugh, what's going on? Where am I? Max Caulfield thought to herself as she stood once more in a forest. Something was different, though; Max felt as if she were only partly in the woods. Spinning around, Max saw that the distortion from her previous dream was nowhere to be found but that didn't stop her from running up the hill. Ignoring the rain and wind, Max dodged the falling rocks and descending trees as the pattern was the exact same as in her first recollection of this place. Reaching the hilltop, Max stopped as she thought she heard someone calling her._

"MAX!"

 _Chloe? Chloe! Max looked around the area surrounding the lighthouse but could not see any trace of her blue-haired friend before she turned around and found that the area immediately behind her had gone pitch black. Lip trembling as the shock of what she was looking at overwhelmed her briefly, Max felt her hand stretch out of its own accord before being pulled into the void by another hand of similar features._

Her head snapping up, Max looked around to find herself back at her and Rachel's table in the bar. Eyes open and darting around, she looked at a startled Rachel and a concerned Chloe with a quizzical expression of her own. _What…where was I? Hold on, hold on just a goddamn second. I was in the parking lot, and now I'm here. Chloe was shot, but now she is standing here and Rachel had just asked me something._ Hazily remembering what Rachel had asked her, Max remembered that she had been asked that same question about Chloe and her going on a date after the fights were done once already. Looking up at Chloe one more time to see the girl shouting at the ring announcer from where she was leaning against the guardrail, Max looked over at Rachel in confusion.

"What happened?" Max asked, rubbing at her temple from a fading headache.

"Your nose started bleeding and you just passed out. Your head hit the table and Chloe came running. Max, you were out only a couple of minutes but your nose was bleeding pretty badly. Too much blow?" Max rolled her eyes but gave Rachel a weak smile for the effort at trying to make her laugh.

"Yeah. You got me, Rach. I'm into hardcore drugs, fucking smartass. I…I don't know what happened. Everything is jumbled up-" Max looked up in mid-sentence as Chloe ran into the back only to come back out shortly after with her bag. "Che? Don't you have a match up soon? I thought you needed the money to pay off Frank?"

"Whoa. How the fuck do you know about that, Max?" Chloe's alert tone as she went from considerate to scrutinizing startled Max and the punkster felt her head throb. Pressing her hands to her head, she heard Chloe sigh and saw her friend swing her legs over the guardrail so that she was standing next to the still-seated Max. "Uh, I'm gonna take her home."

"She could probably use something to eat, Chloe," Rachel said as she stood and moved over to where Max was seated. Helping Chloe gently lift Max to her feet, Rachel smiled apologetically as the patrons made room for the three girls to get to the door. "That much blood loss is making her woozy. She needs sugar and something in her stomach."

"I want a shake," Max mumbled, pouting as the throbbing continued.

"Okay," Chloe replied. Rachel opened the door for Chloe and Max as they all made their way outside. Chloe whispered softly to Max as she moved to carry Max on her back with Rachel walking alongside them. "Anything else, milady Max?"

"…Fries."

"Ah-ha. I see your endgame, Max Caulfield. Tryin' to milk me for sympathy junk food," Chloe teased, looking over at Rachel with a smirk as the brunette giggled when she saw Max bury her head into Chloe's back as a reply. "You're hella cute when your shy."

"S-Shut up. You can't tease me because I'm dying."

"You're not dying, Max. Hush."

"Dying."

"Stop, Max," Rachel and Chloe said in unison, both girls scowling in mild irritation at Max's weakened giggle.

"Seriously, Maxie," Rachel said in an admonishing voice, "Don't fucking say things like that. Okay?"

"…'Kay. Sorry," Max's voice muffled by the back of Chloe's hoodie, the bluenette could only chuckle as her frustration at Max's morbid joke dissolved before the cuteness of her friend's sudden reversion to what felt to Chloe like 13 year-old Max Caulfield.

Giving Rachel the keys, Chloe jerked her chin in the direction of the passenger seat and slid Max into the cab of her truck once Rachel opened the door. Piling both her bag and Max's at the pinkette's feet, Chloe walked around to the driver's side and hopped in.

"You want a ride? I mean, we're not going to Seattle. If you need somewhere else in Portland to get dropped off at I'm game, Rachel," Chloe said as she started up her truck.

"Nah, I got a ride inside. I'll just-" Rachel was cut off as she gasped when Max suddenly sat up straight and stared at both girls with an intensity that surprised them.

" _No_. You get in and we can drop you off wherever, Rachel. Chloe, _we need to go_." Max's commanding tone seemed to override whatever either Rachel or Chloe had been thinking of saying as Chloe pulled out of her parking spot with Max and Rachel scrunched together in the passenger side. Turning around in her seat as she hugged at Rachel, Max's eyes narrowed at the sight of Frank looking anxiously at them from the other side of the lot.

"Is that…is that _Frank_?" Chloe's question was not directed at anyone in particular as her eyes widened. Glancing at a focused Max, the little pinkette still glaring daggers at Frank as he just watched them in return. Turning into traffic, Chloe honked a couple of times before seeing Max jump in her seat slightly. Seeing the concerned look on Rachel's face as the brunette brought Max's head onto her shoulder, Chloe's brow furrowed at the seemingly intimate contact. Max, meanwhile, had a plethora of images bouncing in her head.

 _Frank shooting Chloe. The hit-and-run. Speeding car. Traffic at night. Chloe's upset about something._ Lifting her head off of Rachel's shoulder, Max put a hand on Chloe's thigh and squeezed lightly as she looked concernedly at the tense blue-haired girl. _She knows something is up_ , Max thought to herself as she caught Chloe glancing at her for a moment with a deadpan look on her face, _Oh yeah, she_ knows _something is up._

"Where can I drop you off, Rachel?" Chloe asked, not hiding the tone that gave away her need to presently be alone with Max.

"Uh, if you just go down a couple of blocks there's a bus stop. I can hitch a ride downtown from there, get my lift back to Seattle in the morning," Rachel said with an anxiousness, casting furtive glances at Chloe and Max as a tension began to fill the cab. "Maxie? You call me more often, yeah? And don't scare your sister like that!"

"Ow!" Max winced at the impact of Rachel's fist onto her thigh as the muscle began to immediate radiate pain. _A charlie horse, Rach? Really?_ "Uh, sure. You know I will. Honest-to-Dog, Rach; just lay off the physical violence."

Getting a satisfied nod from the brunette, the cab was silent for the rest of their abbreviated ride to the bus stop. Pulling in to the designated area, Rachel gave Max a hug and Chloe a nod before getting out of the truck. Looking through the rear windshield, Max watched Rachel observe the truck for a moment longer before pulling out her phone to make what Max assumed was a call to her ride out of Portland. Turning back around, Max looked over to see Chloe watching from the corner of eye.

"We need to talk," Chloe said, her tone neutral but her hands giving away her frayed nerves as she clenched the steering wheel.

"I…I suppose we do. Can we still get something to nosh on? I'm a little dizzy," Max asked, meeting Chloe's calm tone with her own.

"Yeah, sure. Don't want you passing out on me when you owe a hella massive explanation." The serious look on Chloe's face deflated Max's hope to try and enjoy what was supposed to be their date. _I'm screwed_. _Wowsers, I am_ so _screwed. I don't even know what's going on_ , Max thought as Chloe continued to drive through Portland in the dead of night.

* * *

The fast food place was relatively unremarkable. Remnants of whatever it had been before the renovation remained in the plastic seating and worn cushions, the tacky paint only further encouraging that Max and Chloe should run. Unfortunately, Max's hunger and prevailing weakness all but demanded that they stop somewhere sooner rather than later. Walking up to the counter, Chloe ordered fries, a shake, and a soda before leading Max to a booth while the blue-haired kickboxer leaned against the soda fountain to wait on their food. Max sat in the booth, her mind a haze from the lightheadedness and the fact that she had traveled back in time. _Chloe's, er, financial problems with Frank pretty much confirm that. I just don't know how I did it. Was it this_?

Max closed her eyes and concentrated on rewinding time. Opening a single eye, Max looked around curiously to see if anything had happened.

"Crap," Max whispered to herself as she saw Chloe approach. "I need to try something else before Che comes over."

Lifting her hand like she had also done when Frank shot Chloe, Max felt a light vibration run up her arm and watched as Chloe began to walk backwards and set the tray of junk food back on the counter. Eyes widening further than they already had, Max watched in awe as Chloe's soda shot out of her cup and back into the fountain dispenser. A straw wrapper came out of the trash and slid back onto the straw in her friend's hand as Max lowered her hand and time resumed. Checking her nose, Max felt some ease at the lack of blood spurting out her face. _Maybe it has something to do with how long I go? How much I change? Fuck, I don't know these things!_

"So," Chloe said, snickering as she watched Max jump from being startled, "Talk, Caulfield. How do you know about Frank?"

"I like it better when you call me nicknames. You sound so…so _mean_ right now," Max said with a pout as she fiddled with her lip ring. "I fucking passed out, Chlo. You could give me some damn sympathy, jerk." Max saw Chloe seem to take her words into consideration before the bluenette took off her beanie and scratched at her head in what looked like slight embarrassment.

"…You're right. I'm sorry, dude. It's just… _how_ could you possibly know about my shit with Frank? I just don't understand that, Max." Chloe picked at her order of fries as she slid Max's towards the punkster. "I don't talk about that shit, and I didn't even think you knew of that particular asshole's existence. It's just hella trippy, so I get fucking stern. I'm not the biggest fan of surprises like that, Pinky."

"Ehhh, you might not want to hear what I have to say," Max admitted with a cringe, "I have no desired to be dropkicked, Che." Seeing Chloe snicker, Max rolled her eyes and gave Chloe a serious look. "Chloe…I rewound time. I…watched Frank shoot you. I watched you die, Chlo, and when I moved to block Frank from shooting me I rewound time."

Chloe's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms, making Max feel all the more uncomfortable about being the center of such focused attention. She liked blending into the crowd; the lack of such a crowd at Blackwell was why things were so damn awkward at school for her. _Stop it with the glare, Che. You know I don't like that shit._

"Quit staring." Max's tone only levied a more concentrated stare from Chloe before Max pulled the hood of her leather jacket over her head and looked away with her own arms crossed. "I said cut it out, Chloe! I don't like that, being stared at! I-It makes me hella anxious, so stop."

Max kept looking away even after she felt Chloe's glare lessen somewhat as the bluenette sighed once more. _I know I'm not the easiest person to handle, Chloe, and I_ am _sorry. Wowsers, you think I enjoy being like this? I'm fucked up, Che. It fucking happens to people sometimes._ Joining Chloe with her own sigh, Max pulled the jacket's hood up some so that Chloe could get a better look at her. Turned her head back to face Chloe, Max looked at her friend once more and let out a deep exhale.

"I can prove it. I can prove that I'm able to go back in time." _Yeah, except I have no damn clue how to do that. I just want her to not look like she's pissed at me._ "Tell me something that only you know, and I'll go back and say it to you."

"Uh," Chloe looked off as though deep in thought, "…The first fight I was in, I was so nervous that when I took my first punch I nearly peed myself." Seeing the corners of Max's mouth tilt upward the slightest bit, Chloe stuck out her tongue and flipped Max off only to grumble as Max only smirked even more.

"Okay. Gimme a second, Chloe." Popping her knuckles for dramatic effect, Max slowly stretched her hand out and focused. Feeling the sensation from before creep up her arm, Max watched as Chloe shifted around in the reverse of what she had been doing before. Quickly stopping just as Chloe started to stare in her direction, Max lowered her hand as Chloe's eyes began to narrow into slits.

"…You nearly peed yourself when you took your first punch," Max blurted out, lowering her voice halfway through the sentence as she saw Chloe's eyes nearly pop out of her skull from surprise. "You just told me a minute or so from now so that I'd have proof I can rewind time. Ta-da…?"

"You can rewind time."

"I can rewind time." Max thought Chloe might have been struck dumb by the revelation before shaking her head as a mischievous grin began to creep its way onto her friend's face. "Dude. Max, we _have_ to play. You have superpowers!" Chloe's ecstatic tone did little to alleviate Max's growing concern. She wanted to mess around, too, but she also remembered passing out and getting a nosebleed. _Don't feel like my head exploding._

"I…I don't really feel up to it right now," Max said before starting on her fries. Dunking some of her snack into the shake before her, Max munched away as the slight throbbing in her head lessened some. "I passed out and blood shot out my nose, Che. I'm kinda fucking done for the night. I just want to sleep."

"But I _wanna_ …," Chloe's pout was insufferably cute to Max, but the pinkette would not be dissuaded just because Chloe wanted something.

"I'm _tired_ , Che. You don't have a throbbing in your head that feels like it could turn your nose into a bloody kitchen faucet. Seriously, back the fuck up."

"Widdle Max don't wanna pway wif Chlo-Chlo and have fun? Booooooo," Chloe teased before seeing the growing irate look on Max's face.

"I can get a cab and crash in a motel room of my own, Chloe. I don't _have_ to put up with this shit," Max said as she slowly got to her feet after sliding out of her seat. Max made it into the restaurant's foyer before she looked back to see Chloe pouting after her. Max decided that Chloe could keep pouting. _Life-changing shit goes down, I save your life, and you fucking tease me like I'm ten years old. I'm not that little kid anymore, Chloe. I think you need a goddamn wake-up call_ , Max thought to herself as she went to hail a taxi.

"Max, wait!" Chloe shouted as she ran across the parking lot to where the punkster stood on the curb, "Please! I'm…I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!"

"I don't appreciate being teased about this shit, Che," Max said as she turned around to look at a forlorn Chloe Price, "I watched you die when all I actually wanted to happen tonight was watch you fight and then go on our date. This shit happens and your resort to some teasing, bullshit ass-fuckery. I'm not a kid anymore, Chloe. You can't fucking push me into shit I don't want to do."

Max knew she was being harsh but she also realized that Chloe might not back off unless she was. _I'm_ not _that little pushover anymore, either. I'm…I'm_ not _. Goddamnit, Che, don't look at me like that._ Max felt her icy demeanor begin to sizzle as Chloe gave her a puppy-eyed expression. Throwing her hands up in consternation, Max shook her head as she reluctantly stepped away from the curb. Watching a cab turn back onto the street from the corner of her eye, Max felt like she had just made a mistake before getting wrapped up in a hug from her blue friend.

"I _am_ sorry. It's just so fucking amazeballs, Maxaroni!" Chloe cried out in something that sounded to Max like a giddy apology. "My best friend is a superhero! How cool is that?!"

"Hella cool, Che. Right now, your crime-fighting friend is fucking tired and…oh, shit…"

Max felt her legs give out from under her. Chloe's excitement and Max's own anxiety, compounded by the events at the bar parking lot, had proven too much for one night. Feeling Chloe catch her, Max looked up at her friend with an embarrassed grin only to get a gentle kiss. Helping Max up, Chloe leaned her forehead against Max's as she supported Max while they walked toward the truck.

"I really am hella sorry, Max. We'll get a room somewhere and just crash. I know my tank is low. Adrenaline from a good fight can only last you so long after the fight is done," Chloe said as she helped Max into the passenger seat before sliding in front of Max to the driver's side, "I saw a motel back the way we came. That good?"

"So long as there's a bed and it doesn't look like a crack house, I'm good." Max leaned her head back against the seat until she was looking up at the truck cab's ceiling. "I'm not going to apologize for earlier. You can't treat me like that, like a kid. Not if you want to be friends, Chloe, and you sure as hell can't if you want more. I want to try for more, but not when you egg me on."

"…Duly noted, Captain Max," Chloe said with a curt nod, her tone less considerate than before as she took in Max's not-so-subtle threat, "I have no doubt you'll keep my ass in check. Didn't realize you were such a hard-ass, Caulfield."

"I'm a girl of many talents, Chloe Price."

"Ooh-la-la. Look at you, all mystique and allure." Chloe grinned as she pulled out of the parking lot toward the blinking motel sign a couple blocks away. "Getting me into a motel room all to yourself. What _will_ the neighbors say?"

The motel room was relatively clean, though both Max and Chloe scrunched their noses at the intensity of air freshener inside. Splitting the price fifty-fifty, Chloe led Max up the steps and inside their room. Chloe took off back down the steps to get them something to drink as Max laid back on the bed. Kicking at her boots until one came off, Max gritted her teeth as she feebly tried to pry the other piece of footwear off before hearing the door open. Her eyes closed, Max continued to struggle only to feel two strong hands untie the boot and easily slip it off. Opening her eyes halfway due to an increasing fatigue, Max saw Chloe looking down at her from beside the bed with a couple of Cokes in one of her hands.

"How ya feeling, Mad Max?" Chloe asked as she sat down beside Max on the bed, "Want to sit up, get some sugar in your system?"

"Yeah. Sugar sounds nice," Max grunted as she slowly lifted herself into a sitting position, "I…don't usually _do_ take-backs, but I _am sorry_ , Che. I blew up on you too much at the restaurant. You egged me on and deserved a little ribbing, but not getting torn into. My bad."

"Nah, I kinda deserved it. I just forget sometimes how much you've changed. Not the stuff you've told me about, I don't think I could _ever_ forget that, but how different you are as a result. You still act like a loveable little nerd around me, so I tend to not notice," Chloe said as she brushed pink hair out of Max's face, "You look as different as I do, but you're still Max Caulfield."

"…Only with you," Max said as she pressed Chloe's hand to her cheek before kissing the inside of Chloe's palm, "Only you. Rachel hasn't even gotten this close. You fucking got me, Chloe Price. Honest-to-Dog, what you gonna to do with little ol' me?"

Chloe motioned for Max to scoot over a little. Shutting the lights off, Max could only see a vague silhouette as Chloe walked over to lock the door before climbing into the bed. Feeling the heat radiate off Chloe's body, Max heard the rustling sound of clothes being taken off and felt her face turn hot. _W-What are you up to, Chloe? Eh? Uh, not the best time for ravaging…or whatever…,_ Max thought as she felt a hand tug at the hem of her shirt. Sighing, Max slipped out of her own clothes until she was only in her underwear. Scrambling deeper into the blankets, Max felt Chloe slip under the covers alongside her. Her heart beating faster, Max winced as the miniscule throbbing in her head kicked up for a few seconds before calming back down. _I could rewind right now, do something that prevents…whatever_ this _is…_

"Calm down, Max." Chloe's voice was soft, her arms and hands wrapping around Max as the two girls laid next to one another with their faces only inches apart. "I don't think I'm ready for sexiness with Mad Max just yet. I'd just like to hold you right now, if that's cool."

"S'pretty cool." Max figured that Chloe might be able to see the grin on her face and was rewarded for said thought with a kiss. Not as rough as some of her other kisses that Max had received, there was a tenderness and gentle hesitation that spoke of Chloe's own inner struggle between who she was and who she is. _Such a romantic, Che._ Running her fingers through Chloe's hair as she moved closer to the bluenette, Max licked at Chloe's lips until the other girl opened her mouth. The two girls kissed until both had to pull back for breath, grinning in the dim motel room. Deciding that she was ready to sleep, Max nuzzled her face into Chloe's neck and gave the other girl several small kisses where her head rested before she began to let herself drift away.

"G'night, Che." Max felt her whole body tremble as she yawned.

"Goodnight, nerd." A kiss on her forehead elicited a sleepy grin from the punkster as she fell asleep in Chloe's arms.

More clear-headed than last night, Max woke up first and quickly got dressed. Using the complimentary coffee next to the small coffee maker, Max cringed at the acrid smell of motel coffee before shrugging. _Beggars can't be choosers, Max. The Four Seasons this place is_ not _,_ Max thought as she divided the small pot's contents into two paper cups. Using a lot of sugar, Max finding it amusing that there were so many packets, Max took a drink of the swill and nearly gagged before hesitantly taking another sip. She needed to be awake and ready for whatever might happen today.

Walking over to Chloe with coffee in both hands, Max tripped on some discarded clothing and fell towards the sleeping girl with scalding coffee heading directly for Chloe's face. Instinctively reaching out her emptied hand and concentrating, Max watched time rewind as the coffee gathered itself back in the cup. Quickly dropping her hand, Max winced as some of her coffee splashed onto her wrist. Trying to stifle her pained whimper, Max watched Chloe stir in bed and stretch as she blearily opened her eyes

"Whazzat? Smells fuckin' awful," Chloe uttered, lazily blinking her eyes as she pulled the covers over her head, "Go away."

"Get up, you baby." Max set both coffees down and poked at Chloe, smirking as her friend's body twitched when Max had made contact with her blanket-covered side. "Ohhhhh, you're still ticklish? Good…to…know." Max figured that Chloe knew what could be coming because the bluenette quickly sat up.

"Fine, I give. Pass me whatever the hell is supposed to coffee," Chloe said as she took the coffee and a kiss from Max with the latter bringing Chloe more out of her sleepy funk than the bitter drink that she hastily gulped down. "Smelled like crap, hella tasted like it too. Can I…maybe snag another kiss?"

"Hell no," Max said almost nonchalantly, the smirk on her face giving away a mischievousness, "Your breath's rank from drinking that shitty coffee."

"Son of a-" Chloe being cut off as Max gave her another kiss, this one on the cheek, before throwing the bluentte's clothes at her face.

"Let's just go home, Che. I'm still pretty fucking drained, and I just kinda want to crawl into my own bed right now."

"You don't want to come crash at my place? Ass." Chloe's genuinely hurt tone took Max aback some as the pink-haired girl watched her friend get dressed.

"Dick. I just want to sleep."

"Whatever you say, Spaz."

"Go get knocked in the head again, 'Miss Punching Bag 2013'."

Chloe put a hand to her chest in mock offense before grinning and pulling at a standing Max's jacket. Bracing herself against the bed with her hands, Max shook her head and pulled herself free of the bluenette's grasp. Hearing mumbling as she turned to open the blinds, Max looked over her shoulder and quirked an eyebrow.

"You still owe me a date, you know. I'm holding you to that," Max said with a grin as she began to slowly open the blinds. Hearing Chloe hiss as she rolled over to the other side of the bed, Max threatened the other girl by opening the blinds all the way for a second before returning them to being cracked open. "Get _up_ , Chloe."

"You're so hella mean. I fucking liked cutesy, shy Max better. Go find her," Chloe muttered as she peeked over from the bedside she was leaning against.

"Too bad for you that _I'm_ the time traveler. You got five minutes."

"I'm driving. I have however long I…give me my keys, Max. Max!" Chloe's shout was answered only with a giggle as Max headed outside onto the balcony to smoke, the door closing behind the punkster as she jangled the keys in her free hand.

* * *

The first thing Max noticed when she opened the hallway door of the girls' dormitory at Blackwell was how quickly it became quiet. Seeing nervous smiles from some of the girls in the hall, Max's brow furrowed before she saw Kate's head poke out from behind her own door. Max stopped mid-step and felt her a shiver run up her spine as she looked past the approaching Kate and saw that the door to her room at the end of the hallway was cracked open.

"Max…could you do me a favor?" Kate asked as she took one of Max's clenched hands in both of her own, "Please don't get mad. You'll only make it worse."

"…What's going on, Kate?" Max's tone signaled that stringing her along was the last thing that anybody needed. Seeing Dana give her an anxious look, Max eyed her questioningly. "Why are you looking at me like that? I know I'm not exactly the friendliest person, but fu-"

"It's not that, Max," Dana said as she walked over, pulling her hand free from Juliet as she stood next to Kate and looked at the pensive blonde, "Um…maybe _you_ should tell her…"

"Tell me _what_?"

"Mr. Madsen is going through your-, Max! Max, wait!" Kate shouted after Max, her explanation halted as the pinkette's eyes widened before Max ran down the hall.

Swinging the door wide open, Max looked straight ahead to see David Madsen going through her shelves. Her room in something of a disarray, Max Caulfield felt her face grow incredibly hot as she clenched her fists. _He's so goddamn preoccupied with violating my privacy he doesn't even know I'm here. Motherfucker!_ Hearing Kate and Dana come up from behind, Max began to shake from the sweeping anger that she felt take hold of her. Hearing the girls' footsteps, David turned from where he was examining Max's movie collection and narrowed his eyes.

"I told you this wasn't over. You wouldn't let me inspect your bag, so now I'm inspecting your room. I have it on good authority that you're hiding _something_ in here," David Madsen said as he turned back to his investigation.

"You fucking Nazi," Max uttered, her voice low and tremulous as she tried in vain to control her temper, "You…have… _no_ …right. The _only_ person who has been in my room besides me since I got to this fucking school is Kate, and I'm pretty sure she hasn't seen anything suspicious because I don't _have_ anything suspicious. Get out of my room."

"Missy, you need to respect the fucking uniform. You've already got a reputation as a troublemaker. Being friends with my stepdaughter doesn't help you in that department, either. I know she smokes grass and I'm willing to bet you do, too."

"Fuck you!"

"…Where is it, kid?" David got to his feet as he swung his arms to take in the entire room. "I know you got something here, so fess up. Unless…open your bag."

" _Fuck. You._ " Max gripped the strap of her camera bag a little tighter as David reached out and grabbed the bag itself.

Struggling as both she and David fought over the camera bag, Max felt the fabric looped on her shoulder begin to strain David pulled with one hand while searching with the other. Kate caught Max as the strap broke with a _snap_ and the pink-haired girl watched with a saddened expression as the bag tore open and her camera fell to the floor. Watching the camera break as it impacted against the carpet, Max thought she might cry as one of the few possessions she still had from before her parents had died went to pieces before her eyes. Gritting her teeth as she looked up from the wreckage of her camera and bag to a hesitant David Madsen, Max reared her leg back and swung the steel-toed boot she was wearing up and into the security guard's crotch.

David fell to his knees as Max pulled her foot back, baring her teeth in rage as the man kneeling before her met her gaze with equal animosity. Lacing her fingers together, Max lifted her arms over her right shoulder and swung downward diagonally. Wincing as her clasped fist collided with David's jaw, Max heard Kate yell her name but didn't care. She kicked David, swinging her booted foot into the man's abdomen with a sickening glee as the memory of her camera breaking a few moments ago came at her again and again.

"Max, _stop_!" Kate yelled as she ran forward and wrapped her arms around Max from behind, pinning the enraged punkster's arms to her sides.

Max felt a wetness on the nape of her neck and realized that Kate was crying. Looking over her shoulder and through the mess of Kate's unraveling blonde hair, Max looked in pain as she saw the horror etched in Dana's face. A hand put over her mouth, Dana stood frozen in the doorway with some of the other girls lingering in the hallway behind her in mutual shock.

"…The bag and t-the camera…," Max stammered, her voice shaking from both anger and a deepening sadness, "M-My parents got me t-them the day they…the day they died." _I won't cry. I fucking_ won't _cry, Goddamnit._

Surveying the handiwork of her wrath, Max sighed at the display of having failed to keep herself in check. The spittle from David's lips looked pinkish to Max as she observed him curl into a fetal position to protect himself from further harm. Part of Max relished someone who had violated her so much being wrecked on the floor, but she knew in entirety that what she had done was wrong. _I…how do I fix this?_ Max's eyes began to dart around as her anger started to transform into shock. Instinctively, Max's arm lifted up as Kate ease up on her hold.

Time began to drag backwards for Max, the punkster observing as her actions began to happen in reverse. Fist pulling back, foot retracting back to where she stood, Max felt a shaky ease begin to seep into her as blow after blow against David was wiped from existence. Looking as the first kick was retracted, Max sighed in relief before a sharp pain behind her eye caused her to cry in pain.

"Max?" Kate asked as she approached her trembling friend, both girls looking at David and the damage he'd caused. "Why can't you just leave her alone? Look at her! She's crying and you're…you're an asshole! She has nothing here, and whoever told you that just wanted to hurt her!"

"I don't need this crap from-" David managed to get out before Max quietly began to speak.

"…My parents got me that bag and camera before…before they died," Max said as she knelt to put her things back in the bag with shaking hands, "D-Do you know what t-the foster system is l-like for a thirteen y-year old girl who just l-lost her family? Do you k-know what it's like to w-watch yourself get s-stripped away for five years?" Max didn't aim her questions at anyone in the room in particular, but she heard the sound of girls gasping and David's breath seeming to catch in her throat. _I don't care. Fuck all of you. Fuck this town._

"I…I'm sorry," David said as he hesitated before bending down to try and help Max gather the remains of her camera only to pull his hand back as her head snapped up with teeth bared.

" _Get the fuck away from me!_ " Max's scream seemed to echo in the room and in the hallway, whatever attention hadn't been aimed in her direction now focused entirely on the sobbing pink-haired girl as camera parts slipped through increasingly shaky fingers. "Just…just leave me the fuck alone!"

David Madsen got to his feet and tried to not look shaken up as he walked through the crowd of girls and down the hall. Seeing David pause as he looked from the exit down in the direction of Max's room, Taylor looked over at him and flipped him off.

"Get the fuck out, asshole!" Max heard a girl, _I think that's Taylor_ , yell before hearing a door slam. "Victoria…did you do this? Did you sic that creep on her?"

Max's head spun with enough speed that she felt momentarily dizzy before she eyed Victoria Chase with renewed anger. Dropping the remains of her broken camera, Max let Kate and Dana help her up. Legs shaking, Max stumbled angrily toward Victoria as the short-haired blonde began to backpedal towards her own room.

"I didn't do anything." Victoria's eyes widened as Max's hands began to clench back into fists. Not taking any chances, Victoria turned and bolted into her room, locking the door behind her as the door slammed shut.

Max looked despondently at Victoria's door, her body wavering slightly as she fought to bring her anger under control. _I'll be the death of myself, someday. I won't be able to keep my shit together and everything will go to hell._ Letting out a deep breath, Max turned around and waded through the girls looking in her room. _Let them see_ was all that Max could think as Kate and Dana wrapped her in warm hugs.

"I think I would like to be alone right now," Max said, her words controlled and her voice muffled by Kate's sweater before the other two girls backed away, "I…I appreciate the backup, but I think it would be best if I had some time by myself. I don't want to blow up on anybody who doesn't deserve it, and I'm pretty sure that will happen if you all don't leave me be."

None of the girls said a word. Taylor walked in to give a hug of her own to the amazement of nearly everyone in the hallway, especially Courtney and Kate, but aside from that Max was almost immediately left to her own devices as Kate closed the door behind her. Quickly locking everyone out, Max went back to the half-collected mess and stuffed everything but her camera back into the bag. _The strap's snapped where it connects with the bag. I can fix that with pins and some tape_ , Max thought as she moved to her dresser and rummaged through a box of art supplies. Finding fabric glue and safety pins, Max put them gingerly on her desk before slamming the dresser shut with force. Her knuckles white as she gripped at the dresser, Max felt the tears come down her face in solitary drops, pooling together only when they reached her jawline before landing on her t-shirt.

"Motherfucker," Max whimpered repeatedly between sniffles. Heartbroken, Max looked at the remains of her parents' gift. Undeveloped film sticking out of the Polaroid camera's broken shell, Max knew that she wouldn't be able to fix it again. The camera had been damaged some over the years, but Max had always been able to coax it back into functionality. _It's too busted up this time_ , Max thought as she crawled onto her bed and sat with her knees folded against her chest. Leaning against the wall, Max almost didn't notice the blinking light emanating from her jacket pocket. Reaching over to the bundle of black leather and studs, Max pulled out her phone to see a laundry list of messages from Chloe.

 **Chloe: Max? Hey, u there?  
Chloe: Max! Maaaaaaaax!**

 **Chloe: I miss u, punk-ass nerdface**

 **Chloe: Answer, dye-job hipster!**

 **Max: Hey**

 **Max: I HATE ur step-dad. He busted my room and broke my camera. The one my parents gave 2 me b4…well, you know…**

 **Chloe: Oh shit. Max, u okay?**

 **Chloe: fuk that's a dumb thing 2 ask. I'm sorry.**

 **Max: It's sweet. But no, I'm not. Not okay.**

 **Max: I thought I was going 2 kill him Chloe. I beat the shit out of him and rewound 2 stop myself.**

 **Chloe: …what do u need?**

 **Max: I need you, Che. Will you come over here?**

 **Chloe: on my way, babe**

 **Max: "babe?"**

 **Chloe: too soon?**

Max paused. She'd been in relationships before, but there was something special about how Chloe made her feel. She could lower her guard, feel vulnerable, and not have to worry about Chloe taking advantage of the broken mess Max actually was. _She's broken like me. Maybe we could make something whole._ Max's fingers flew across the screen of her phone before she tossed it next to her, the last message of "Not soon enough" flashing as it was received.

 **Author's Note**

 **I'm willing to be that some people thought I was going to barrel through after last chapter. Like I said, I'm going slow with the pacing on this. I enjoyed how many surprised responses I got here and on Tumblr about me including the powers. Think about it – a new take on Max** _ **with**_ **her time powers. This Max didn't shy away when she got to Blackwell, and she doesn't put up with nowhere near as much shit as Canon Max. The possibilities for Punk Max with time powers is too good for me to pass up. Also, she fights pretty damn dirty! Fight to win, though, not to be polite…**

 **Read, review, and I will see you for Chapter 7! What will they all do next? How will I change things even more? Eheheheh ;)**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Love Me Like You Do**

 **Song by Ellie Goulding (Cover by Living in Fiction)**

Waking up more tired than she had last night, Max Caulfield stretched before lazily up in her bed. Leaning against the wall, Max looked at her Polaroid snapshots decorating the area next to her resting spot and frowned at the memory of her camera being broken last weekend. Still having to select a photo for Mr. Jefferson's contest, Max had gone through all of her photos but had not found one that she felt was worthy of selection. She _liked_ her shots, but nothing stood out to her as award-worthy. Yawning as she ran a hand through her bedhead, Max felt a stirring next to her and smirked as she gently poked at the mass lying alongside her in the tiny dorm bed.

"Meh," a voice said sleepily as Max's finger poked its way down the bedspread, " _Mehhhhhhhh_."

"C'mon, Che," Max said as she laid on top of the bundle for a moment before sliding out of bed, "Get up."

"You're cute when you're bossy," Chloe said, peeking out from under the blankets, "But you're also hella shitty, too."

"Moi? Shitty?" Max's shocked tone followed up by a sardonic laugh only exacerbated Chloe's irritation. "Pfffft, guess I learned bossiness from the master. Help me, Obi-Chlo Kenobi. You're my only dope."

"You can't smoke me! I'm too amazeballs to die!" Chloe tried not to giggle as Max proceeded to roll her in the blankets so as to look like a gigantic doobie. "Gonna get high with me, babe?"

Seeing blue hair and eyes poking out of the end of her "Priceless Doobie", as she had declared it, Max smirked as she walked over to her dresser. Changing out of her sleep clothes, Max fished out a black t-shirt and blue jeans along with a pink beanie that had little black skulls on it. Walking over to the bed with a playful look on her face, Max grabbed her vape pen that was lying under Chloe's discarded wardrobe and took in a long drag before she made to straddle the bundled bluenette. Leaning down, Max saw her own smile replicated on Chloe's face as they met halfway for Max to shotgun. Blowing the vapor out through their noses, Max leaned her head against Chloe's neck as she pulled the sheets out from under her girlfriend to hold her. When Chloe had come to her room after David had trashed it last Sunday had made the fact that Chloe had nearly died real to Max.

The nightmares Max had been having since Portland were kept in check only when Chloe stayed over. Managing to get away with sneaking into the dorm at night a few days this past week, Chloe had been quietly ushered into Max's room by the punkster. Barely speaking, Max would typically stand on her tip-toes as she sought relief from her pain and fear in Chloe's lips, in the lean arms that would wrap around her. They didn't need words then, slipping into the bed before awkwardly stripping under the covers. Giggles and whispers would be exchanged as they tossed clothing onto the floor before a peaceful silence would fill the room. Lying face-to-face, Max would sometimes stare at Chloe until the bluenette started to blush. The majority of the time, however, Max would just lean her head against the crook of Chloe's neck and feel heartbeat of her girlfriend reverberate through their bodies as both girls fell to sleep.

Thinking fondly on how much of a blessing Chloe had been to her since she'd come back to Arcadia Bay, Max sat back up and looked down at her grinning partner-in-crime. Her stomach growling, Max rolled her eyes at the breaking of what could have been the start of a romantic mood when Chloe followed up the hungry noises with her own stomach rumbling.

"Meant to be, Max," Chloe said as she squirmed under the covers before smirking. Still straddling Chloe, Max had her pinned. "Hungry at the same time, high at the same time…Hey, you wanna let a lady out?"

"Sure. You find me a lady, and I'll be sure to assist her in any way possible," Max said with a wink, "Who knows? Maybe she'll be _cute_."

"Ha fucking ha, Max." Chloe wormed a single arm out but it was enough. Yanking Max down by the collar, Chloe distracted the pinkette with a loving kiss only to sit up while still keeping Max's lips locked onto her own.

Max's eyes narrowed for a few seconds as the kiss continued, Chloe winking at her before pulling away so they could both breathe. Rolling her eyes, Max raised her hands in surrender and got out of bed. Pulling on her bathroom flip-flops, she went to grab her toiletries as Chloe sat in bed with her legs dangling.

"Can I get another hit from your vape pen?" Chloe asked before Max opened the door.

"You know it is just salvia, right?" Seeing Chloe nod in reply, Max shrugged as she opened the door. "Go for it, Che. Just lock the door behind me. I…I don't want anyone barging in."

Max wanted in and out of the bathroom as quickly as she possibly could be. Glad she had taken a shower last night, Max mumbled quiet greetings to Brooke and Dana as she hurriedly made to brush her teeth and hair. Max hadn't been comfortable around anybody on the floor since last Sunday. Despite concern from some of her floormates, Max just wasn't up for talking at the moment unless she needed something. Smiling awkwardly at Brooke, Max remembered the look on the other girl's face when Max had asked her questions concerning time travel.

"Stuff like that is really Warren's expertise, Max," Brooke had said apprehensively, "I can hit him up and leave you some websites if you don't want to talk to him."

"Uh, that would probably be best," Max said as she remembered her meeting Warren for the first time, on the ground outside with Chloe pressing onto her.

Brooke had made good on Max's request, with Max spending the next two evenings busy taking notes and reading article after article on chaos theory and quantum mechanics to Chloe's chagrin. Offering to let Chloe take off if she wanted, Max smirked when she had looked back to her screen after Chloe adamantly refused to leave. David's invasion of her privacy had rattled them both, Chloe more so after Max had described in detail how she had beaten her stepfather down before rewinding.

"Morning, Max." Dana's greeting seemed genuine which caused Max to feel all the more uncomfortable. She usually just had herself to rely on and Rachel, Rachel being her only trustworthy friend. Despite Rachel no longer being nearby, Max had Chloe and Kate to rely on. With Chloe back in her life in a huge way, Max had settled into a familiar pattern of having one person she could solidly depend on. She had wanted to make friends upon arrival at Blackwell; now that she had them, however, Max was in a place emotionally where she did not want them.

"Uh, hey." Max said, pulling off her beanie to brush her hair. "What's up?"

"Not much. How…how are you?"

"You mean 'how's the orphan', right?"

"Max, you don't need to be defensive or mean. I'm just concerned. I think of you as a friend and I'd hope you might feel the same."

"…I know, Dana," Max said as she put her brush back in her toiletries bag, "Fuck. Look, I just need to right myself. Get my shit back in order, yeah? I-I'm just not in a good headspace right now."

Getting a hesitant nod from Dana as Brooke left, Max made for the door herself when Kate walked in. Kate had been the hardest person to avoid for Max, both girls caring for the other. Despite Max considering Kate a friend, however, she had all but shunned the sweet cinnamon roll. Kate had been trying to break both of them out of their shells all week, especially after hearing that Max's birthday was today. _Shit, she's on the warpath_ , Max thought as she saw Kate give her a steely look of determination.

"Max, did Dana tell you there's a party next weekend?" Kate asked, arching an eyebrow as she looked over at Dana for confirmation. "You should come. Be my bodyguard, Max."

"Ehh, I…I kinda have plans…," Max actually _didn't_ have plans. _I don't think I can go, Kate. There's too much bullshit in the way between what you want me to feel and how I actually feel right now. Sorry._ "Sure, I guess." _Goddamnit, Kate. You and your fucking melty goodness._

"Great! Uh, bring Chloe with you if that'll make you feel better!" Kate asked, clapping her hands excitedly. _Kate, sweetie, don't do that. Don't clap. We're not in grade school, and you're not a goddamn schoolmarm or what-the-fuck-ever._

"Okay. Um, hit me with a time this week and we'll strategize with Chloe to make sure she's free," Max said with an resigned shrug as she eyed the door behind Kate. _Let me go, let me go, lemme the fuck_ go _!_

"Chloe? Oh, aren't you hanging out with her today?" Dana asked, coming up from behind Max. _Dog, make it stop_.

"Yes, and I would like to get going so-"

"It's her birthday." Kate's matter-of-fact statement elicited a giggle from Dana, the cheery blonde's smile fading as Kate saw the look of distress on Max's face. "Sorry. I'll…I'll let you go now."

"'Kay, bye."

Max leaned against her door as she closed it, anxiety riding high as she spied a dressed Chloe looking at her in amusement from the desk. Flipping Chloe a middle finger with one hand as she wiped at her face with the other, Max shook her head as she signaled that she was ready to go. Tossing her toiletries on her couch, Max quickly put on some socks before sliding her boots on.

Tucking the laces into the boots, Max caught Chloe's continued look of mirth and stuck out her tongue. She wanted to be anywhere but here, away from these girls who knew something about her Max felt they had no business knowing. _I was pissed. I was hurt. I still shouldn't have fucking bared my goddamn soul about my parents like that. It's nobody's fucking business._ Locking her door before heading out with Chloe, Max tried her hardest to ignore the looks she was drawing as Chloe just snickered and threw looks at the girls who were staring a little too hard.

* * *

Max had dragged Chloe both to her truck when they made to leave Blackwell and away from the vehicle as they headed inside Two Whales. Feeling alleviated when they had pulled into the diner, Max had let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Two Whales wasn't busy like usual when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Gripping Chloe's reassuring hand tightly with her own, Max leaned herself into Chloe's arm as the bluenette slid over to sit next to Max.

"You okay, Maxaroni?" Chloe asked as she tugged at Max's beanie, "Dude, your brunette hipster is showing."

"What?" Max asked as she flipped down the sun visor and looked in the mirror. Taking off her beanie, Max lowered her head enough that she could see the start of pink fading into her natural color. "Son of a bitch! _Ugh_!"

"Uh, too late for wishing you a happy birthday and hoping you actually feel happy…?"

"Only if it's from you," Max said, turning to look back at Chloe with an exasperated grin. Giving her girlfriend a tender kiss on the lips, Max enjoyed the slight fluttering sensation in her chest. She could be a wreck around Chloe and the blue-haired girl blessedly loved her even more for it. _If I'm thankful for anything, Che, it's that I get to be with you again. Not only that, but I get to be_ with _you, heh._ "Well, you and your mom. I'm assuming Joyce is currently inside."

"Manning the coffee pots and griddle as we speak, no doubt. I am hungry like the wolf, babe. In hella need of some pancakes and a fuck-ton of bacon. Now, sweetie, get the _fuck_ out of my _truck_."

Smiling at Joyce as she was steered towards the jukebox, Max was given a quarter by Chloe as the bluenette gestured toward the antique-looking machine. Browsing the small collection of single tracks, Max smiled as she found something that both her and Chloe would like. _I hope, anyway_. Sliding in the quarter, Max turned to head towards the booth Chloe had appropriated for their celebratory breakfast feast when she heard the jukebox whir.

"What'd you pick? Something hella cool, I hope. I don't have the patience for you kids and your crazy country music. Line-dancing and barn-raising is just too much for my goddamn common sense," Chloe teased, patting at the spot next to her on the bench. Sliding in next to the bluenette, Max slipped her right hand into Chloe's left as the song she chose began to play.

"I picked _that_ ," Max said as she pointed with her free hand at the old machine.

Chloe listened for a moment before grinning at the sound of "You Drive Me Wild" by The Runaways buffeting the diner with the stylings of classic punk rock. Leaning into Max, Chloe playfully whispered "You adorable little fucker" before sitting up as Joyce came over with coffee and menus. Max gave Chloe a look that was easily interpreted as _You_ still _haven't told her_ as she read her girlfriend's body language, garnering only a pained apologetic smirk from Chloe. Starting to let go of Chloe's hand, Max's happiness turned into a stab of terror as she pondered the idea of living in a cave far away from humanity before she felt Chloe's hand clamp down on her own. _Wait. You're going to fucking tell her_ now _?_ _Jesus fuck, Che. This is why I don't do birthdays – some fucking shit always goes down._

"Hey Mom. We'll have the Belgian Waffles with extra bacon and by the way I'm gay and dating so thanks a bunch and by the way it's Max's birthday," Chloe blurted out, Max's jaw dropping in shock. "Max's birthday? Yay…?"

"…I already knew, Chloe, about both things," the amused smile on Joyce's face making at least Max feel somewhat better, "I've never even _heard_ you talk about dating men, Chloe. I _am_ your mother – I pay attention to these things. I'm just happy that you found someone, hun, and I'm a little happier in _who_ it is that you found. Happy birthday, Max. Food's on me."

"I _want_ to pay, Mom," Chloe said adamantly, leaning across Max to convey her earnestness, "I'm feeling all chivalrous and shit."

"S-Stop, please? You c-can pay if you want, Che, or Joyce can make i-it on the house. Just…just stop drawing attention," Max stuttered as she looked behind her to see the diner's few other customers look down at where she and Chloe were seated.

"Pink hair, piercings, tattoos, and you still stutter occasionally like when you were thirteen. Still my shy hippie." Chloe's kiss on the cheek was sweet to Max but also made her feel all the more awkward. "Recovering shy hippies are known to relapse into cute-as-hell stutters and general loveliness. You need a Surgeon General's warning inked on the side of your face or something."

"Ugh." Max's sigh of indignation was met with a small bout of laughter from both of the Price women. Max tried to drop her head onto the table but found her shoulders held in place by Chloe as the other girl wrapped an arm around her.

"Aww, don't hide," Chloe said, teasing Max further.

" _Stop it_." Max's tone was enough to kill the mirth that had been building. She didn't mean to come off as harsh as she sounded, but she also didn't like being the subject of Chloe's baiting. "Can we just order already?"

"…Two Belgian Waffles coming up. Chloe, how about some eggs instead of bacon? You've got one of your…matches tomorrow, don't ya?" Joyce's question was more of a statement than an inquiry, Chloe's mother leaving was a look of concern as she peeked behind her to catch one more look at a suddenly tired-looking Max.

"Maxaroni, I was just playin'. No harm intended, dude. I'm sorry if I made you hella mad," Chloe's sincerity was the only thing that dragged Max out of her momentary dismalness.

"…I-I know, Che. I can only take so much, though." Apologetic, Max leaned up to give her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek before elbowing Chloe in the ribs. " _That_ , though, is for choosing to come out about _us_ in the fucking diner on my birthday. I don't celebrate this shit as it is, Chloe, so adding something even more awkward doesn't win you brownie points with me."

Getting an embarrassed smile in return for her words, Max let out a groan before nestling her head on Chloe's shoulder, intertwining her fingers in the bluenette's as they played a game on Chloe's phone. _I'm doing all of whatever it is you have planned for_ your sake _, Che, not mine. Truth be told, I'd rather just be a hermit with you in my damn room. I hate my birthday – too many bad memories._ Sighing to herself, Max didn't notice the flash of concern on Chloe's face but felt a grin come across her face as the bluenette gave her light kisses on the forehead.

"I know what we should do first," Chloe's mischievous tone drew Max's attention away from her own thoughts.

"What?"

"Stop at a store to get you some new dye. Hella new hair color! I can totally fix you up at my house, dude!"

"Ehhh…"

"Relax. David is out of the house today – job hunting since his suspension will likely be a boot to the ass out of Black-Hell. You fucking nailed his punk ass down, Max. Epic fucking win."

"He nailed _his own ass_ , Che. Um, how is…how is Joyce taking it…?" Max asked, brow furrowing in worry.

"She's pretty mad at him, like the first time I've ever seen her this pissed at him before. Took both of us by surprise. He comes to the house, eats and sleeps, but is gone all day and most of the night trying to find work," Chloe said between sips of coffee, "Not that I'm complaining. Nice to feel like my home is actually _my home_ again. Hasn't been that way since Joyce dragged his raggedy ass into our lives…"

"Whose 'raggedy ass' might you be talkin' about, Chloe?" Joyce asked, smiling as both girls jumped in their bench at the suddenness of Joyce appearing, "Y'all need to pay better attention. I've been headin' over here in plain sight. You're talkin' about David, aren't you?"

"Dude busted Max's room up, Mom. Broke the camera her parents got her. He's a fucking Nazi troll." Max couldn't help but smile as she felt Chloe pull her in closer. _Defend my honor, Chloe of the House of Price. Protect me with your kicks and sarcasm!_

Getting only a weary sigh from Joyce in reply, Chloe's mother set their breakfasts down as she took the seat across from them to rest for a moment.

"He wasn't always like this," Joyce said, Max's contentment turning into worry as she eyed the saddening look in Joyce's eyes, "He's good to me. I know he's hell on you sometimes, Chloe, but I try to believe he means well. I guess…I guess I was wrong…"

"Joyce…," Max's attempt at comforting the older woman was kindly rebuked as Joyce gave her a faint smile and got back to her feet, the fleeting display of weariness gone almost as soon as it had begun.

Watching Joyce walk back to her spot behind the counter without another word, Max momentarily felt bad about Joyce's situation with her husband. The moment passed, however, when Max recalled her broken camera and her foot repeatedly slamming into David's side. _I wish…I wish I hadn't rewound. Sometimes I do, anyway. Dude seriously needs to get his ass kicked._ Max saw Chloe dig in to her breakfast, but Max didn't feel the hunger from earlier; a mote of self-loathing had replaced her desire for breakfast. Slowly taking her fork in hand, Max picked at the waffle more for Chloe's sake than her own. Maintaining a faint semblance of what Max construed as "normal", she dug into her own waffle with an earnestness that rang hollow.

Max numbly went through the motions for the rest of her and Chloe's time at Two Whales, oblivious to Chloe having picked up on her darkening mood. Max was deeply conflicted; the longer she was in Arcadia Bay, the more she wanted to be like her old self from before Seattle. In contrast, she also wanted to withdraw just as much into herself out of fear _because_ of Seattle and how much she had changed. Max felt complacent, held in place by something that she could not get a grip on.

"Cut it out, Debbie Downer," Chloe said, breaking Max from her depressing reverie, "Let me in, Max."

"You _are_ in, Che. You've just..you gotta be patient with me, okay? Sometimes all of _this_ ," Max gestured with her syrup-coated fork in a wide ark, "is just too fucking much, y'know? I'm not exactly used to anything that could be considered 'the good life'."

Max scowled when she noticed that Chloe wasn't even paying attention, the bluenette looking over Max's head as Joyce started to head back to their booth. Seeing Joyce holding her hands behind her back and the conspiratorial smile shared between both of the Price women, Max scowl turned into a look of curiosity as a green gift bag was sat in front of her plate of half-eaten waffle.

"I thought we agreed that you didn't need to buy me anything, Che," Max said with an almost whining tone, "Dude, I seriously don't need a birthday present."

"Don't be fucking rude, Max," Chloe said, punching Max in the shoulder before giving her girlfriend an apologetic smile as Max winced from the impact. "Sorry. Just, uh, just look inside. I _didn't_ buy anything; I found something I knew you'd like, and Mom's stashed it here for today."

Eyeing the bag suspiciously, Max peeked inside and saw a small bundle encased in layers of pink giftwrap. Ripping the paper up as Chloe and Joyce looked on with knowing smiles, Max heard the other women laugh as she audibly gasped at the old Polaroid camera in her hands. _I've seen this somewhere_ , Max thought as she looked the camera over, _Where the…no. No way!_

"This is your dad's camera, Chloe." Max tried to hand it over to her girlfriend only to get it shoved against her chest. "Joyce… _Che_ , there's no way I can accept this. This is your-"

"You can and you will, Max Caulfield," Joyce said as she looked over to get an affirming nod from her daughter. "Chloe went looking for that through box after box for hours. She even took it to a store here in town to get it repaired so that it worked like new. That camera is hers as much as Williams and she did all that for you."

Max felt her face redden as she looked down at her lap in embarrassment. _Chloe knew how much my camera had meant to me and now she's giving me a piece of her dad_ , _a piece of her_. _Goddamnit, Che. I don't fucking deserve you_. Sniffling as tears threatened to burst out from inside her, Max felt Chloe wrap her up in a hug as her head leaned into Chloe's chest. She wanted to chastise herself for crying in front of Chloe _and_ Joyce, but Max could bring herself to care at the moment.

"This is probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me in years," Max said as she broke away from Chloe and looked down at the camera in her lap. Lifting the camera up, Max moved to take a selfie when she felt Chloe pop up over her shoulder.

"Photobomb!" Chloe said, a huge smile on her face that only grew in brightness as she saw Max roll her eyes.

"Photo _hog_!" Max tried to sound disgruntled, but a fit of giggling ruined any chance at being serious. Taking the shot as Joyce watched them both, Max leaned her back against Chloe as she took another shot. Chloe giving her a kiss on the cheek, Max smirked in the second photo before placing the camera in her bag. "Thank you, Che. You too, Joyce. Seriously, this is hella awesome!"

Their celebratory breakfast finished, Max cuddled with Chloe in the booth for a few minutes as they took turns kissing each other. Before long, however, the girls blushed in realization that they were becoming a subject of interest among the diner's other patrons. Leaving some wadded cash on the table, Max and Chloe promptly exited the diner hand in hand. Taking Chloe's other hand, Max walked backwards with an impish grin on her face. Matching the expression on her girlfriend's face with one of her own, Chloe picked Max up by the sides and proceeded to tickle her right outside the diner. Wanting to one up Chloe, Max wrapped her legs around Chloe's waist and pulled herself in for a kiss. Hearing a slight banging on the glass from a couple eating breakfast in the diner, both girls turned their heads in the same direction and flipped the couple off before Chloe let Max down.

"What next, milady hipster?" Chloe asked as she proffered an arm for Max, the pinkette taking said arm with an exaggerated curtsey.

"The grocery store, Dorkest Maximus. I need to get my drink on," Max said before pulling her beanie off to run a hand through pink hair, "I also need some dye."

"New color? Blue is pretty fucking dope this time of ever."

"Meh, it's a'ight."

"Blasphemer!"

* * *

The supermarket aisle with hair dye was a moderate disappointment. With Chloe lording blue dye over her, Max examined her choices but was ultimately disappointed by the lack of pink hair coloring. _They have Chloe's Smurf blue but not fucking pink. What the hell?_ Getting frustrated, Max started to stack individual boxes of all the shades she didn't like until there was something vaguely resembling a game of Jenga next to where the diminutive punk sat cross-legged. Hearing a cough down the aisle from a supermarket employee, Max yelled back "Where's the pink?!" to make the older woman leave hurriedly. Scowling at Chloe, the bluenette's amusement at Max's irritation getting the pinkette only further riled up, Max gave up on pink altogether and snagged her runner-up.

"Cherry red? You fucking serious?" Chloe asked as she eyed the box in Max's hand.

"Super fucking cereal, Che. This color was actually my first dye job, just so you know, and Rachel told me I pulled it off perfectly fine." Sticking her tongue out at Chloe emphatically, Max stuffed the box in her bag before winking at Chloe. "Want to see a trick?"

Raising her arm up, Max watched as time rewound itself. _I'm rewinding it, but you'll never kno-o-ow_ , Max thought to herself in a sing-song voice as she lowered her arm the moment that they arrived in the aisle.

"Whatcha going to get, Max? I don't think…what's _that_ look for?" Chloe's question coming with a raised eyebrow, Max just winked before mouthing _You'll see_ as she took Chloe's hand and led them to the liquor aisle along the back wall of the grocery store.

"You feel like beer? Some hella strong hooch, maybe?" Max asked with a mischievous look on her face.

"Beer for me, thanks. Not too much, though. Got my match tomorrow," Chloe said, her curiosity increasing, "Shame we're underage. If this were a convenience store, it wouldn't be as much of a hassle…"

"Hush. Let Mad Max hook you up, babe." Taking a 40oz beer and a flask bottle of whiskey, Max dropped them with a flair into her bag. Waving her hands over the bag while saying "Ala-ka-fucking-zam!" in a low tone, Max let her left hand drop while raising her right hand further. Max rewound to just as they entered the liquor area and dropped her hand. _Give in to your need for booze. Come to the dark side – we have beer_ _and pot…and cookies._ Taking Chloe's hand once more, Max snatched a couple bags of chips as well as a two-liter of Coke and some plastic cups before checking out. Paying for the snacks and soft drink with a swipe of her debit card, Max tried not to laugh as the kindly older gentleman handed her the receipt.

Sliding into the passenger side of the truck's bench seat, Max busted up laughing as she closed the door. Laughing so hard she was crying, Max wiped at her eyes while Chloe looked at her in clear stupefaction. Looking over to see Chloe, Max could only laugh harder before her throat started to feel raw. Taking a few breaths between dwindling chuckles, Max pulled the flap of her camera bag open and showed Chloe the contents. _Thank Dog I only had a notebook in this today. I don't think I would have gotten away with it, otherwise._ Seeing Chloe's jaw drop nearly broke Max into a new fit of hysterical laughter before she caught herself with a deep breath.

"How did…? Where… _when_ did you get those?" Chloe asked as she pointed at the contents of Max's camera bag.

"Check this, Chloe," Max swiped Chloe's beanie off the taller girl's head. Placing the beanie into her bag, Max promptly rewound time only a few seconds.

"How did…? Where… _when_ did you get those?"

Max opened her bag and pulled out the black beanie. Seeing Chloe put a hand to the beanie she was wearing, Max turned the beanie in her hands inside out to display the streaks of blue hair dye. Seeing Chloe start to tremble slightly and fidget in her seat uncomfortably, Max quickly dropped the beanie and put a hand on Chloe's shoulder to reassure her girlfriend.

"Don't be mad, Che. I only found out I could do this a couple days ago. Even just now, I wasn't sure. If I take something with me when I rewind, keep it on me somewhere, it comes along for the ride." Smiling, Max looked at Chloe's pained expression with her smile turning into one of apology. _Holy shit, I'm freaking her out._

"Never do that on me, Max. Not unless it's is fucking life or death. Got that?" The seriousness in Chloe's voice surprised Max, but the pinkette could see what Chloe meant by it. _She's worried how far I'll go. Heh, fifteen minutes ago you were trying to get a laugh out of me and now the situation's flipped upside down._

"In case of emergency, break time. Got it, babe. Sorry if I freaked you out," Max said before motioning towards her camera bag with a mischievous smirk, "Now, about the grocery store…"

* * *

The lighthouse was their first stop. Max hadn't been there since they were kids and it was on the way to Chloe's final destination for them. Smoking cigarettes as they shared the 40-ounce Max had what Chloe dubbed as "timelifted", they lazily made their way up the hill cracking dirty jokes and stealing kisses from each other. Her self-reproach from the diner fading into mental obscurity, Max was caught up in her time with Chloe and could not have been more content. "Content" wasn't the right word for Max, though, and the admission in itself came as a surprise. Stopping before snuffing her cigarette out with the heel of her boot, Max set the half-empty beer on the ground and waved Chloe over.

"I…I need to tell you something," Max looked away bashfully, admonishing herself mentally for her face growing hot, "It's pretty serious, Che, so no jokes."

"…Okay, Max. No jokes. What's on your mind?" Chloe asked, smiling as Max held her hands out for Chloe to hold in return.

"You make me _really_ happy. Understand that 'happy' for me hasn't happened in, like, _years_. I never thought I'd get to be happy again, much less the type of happiness that comes with a relationship. So…yeah, you make me really happy. I-I think…I think I love you, Che." Max wanted to die right then, her shyness overcoming her as she tried to pull away. _I shouldn't have said anything. She'll think I'm stupid. I_ am _fucking stupid. Goddamnit motherfucking sonofabitch-_

Max's train of thought was braked by the feel of tear-moistened lips gently immersing themselves in her own. Two hands softly cupped her face as Max stood on her tip-toes. Eyes still shut in embarrassment, Max's body and feelings railed against her thoughts of hiding. Max had never felt such tenderness at that moment, no clue that such compassion could be felt with a kiss. For the first time in a long time, Max felt happy tears dribble out of her as she broke the kiss Chloe was giving her with a cracking voice and laugh. Putting one of her own hands to Chloe's face, Max opened her eyes and saw Chloe crying the same happy tears that Max felt herself letting go. Max could weather whatever came, the pinkette thought as she gazed into Chloe's oceanic eyes. _I can let go, let go of every goddamn thing. Today there's only you._

"Amazeballs," Chloe whispered, her eyes widening as she looked at Max with her mouth partly open in a growing smile, "I love you, Max."

The bench near the cliff's edge was the current repository of the girls' jackets as Max and Chloe explored the surprisingly unlocked lighthouse. Only few small tables, an AM/FM radio, and a cot decorated the ground floor. Switching on the lamps embedded in the walls, Chloe shut the door behind them as Max switched the radio on. Hearing nothing really worthwhile, Max turned the radio off as she began to walk up the spiral staircase.

"I can't believe it's so hollow," Max said as she looked down at an advancing Chloe, scowling at how the taller girl was able to cut the distance between them so quickly, There's just the crap downstairs and this staircase."

"Dude, we totally need to make this a new hideout!" Chloe yelled up as Max tried to stretch the distance between them by running, "You _know_ I'll fucking catch you, brat!"

"This is a little too public, Chloe, and the fuck you will!" Max shouted as she ran a little faster, her stamina falling short of a far more athletic Chloe's. _She smokes, drinks, and can still run like a fucking track competitor. Wowsers. Bullshit, but wowsers._

Being the first to make it to the ladder for the top floor, Max could see Chloe sprinting up the stairs as they locked eyes. Hearing Chloe yell " _Fuck_!" only made Max bust up laughing once more as she opened the hatch leading into the lantern room and sat on it once the hatch door was closed. Hearing a hand slap against the other side, Max snorted as she made out Chloe grunting "Fuck you, door!" before screaming in surprise as Chloe pushed hard enough to marginally lift the hatch Max was sitting on.

"Holy shit!" Max cried out, her hands clamping on the sides of the hatch as she heard Chloe grunt from the effort. "Back the fuck down, Wonder Chloe! Fucking punk-ass amazon!"

Realizing her battle was probably lost, Max slid off the hatch and down to the floor before making a run for the other side of the lantern. Hearing Chloe let out a surprised cry at the sudden lack of weight from the hatch, Max looked around the rotating lamp to see blue hair and eyes watching her from the entrance. Filled with an anxious energy, Max clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle as she watched Chloe slowly make her way into the lantern room. _She's stalking me. Crap, she means business_!

"You're _mine_ , Caulfield," Max heard Chloe say in a low voice.

"We already established that!" Max yelled, keeping the lantern squarely between them as she moved in concert with Chloe's changing position.

"That is hella _not_ what I meant. You fucking sat on the hatch, you little shit!" Chloe made to run but stopped when she saw Max sprint for the hatch. "I'm _going_ to fucking eat you alive!"

"Only if you're good!" Max retorted teasingly, sliding down the ladder before running down the stairs as fast as she could. Hearing Chloe drop onto the ladder platform, Max thought _Shit!_ when the sound of fleet-footed steps began to ring out from the metal stairs. Screaming as she saw that Chloe was only one level of stairs away from her, Max felt her lungs begin to ache as her endurance wavered. Max slowed to a jog for a moment before stopping altogether as a feeling of lightheadedness overcame her. Leaning against the lighthouse wall, Max panted in exhaustion as she heard Chloe's footsteps echoing what she took as her death knell.

Max raised a shaky hand in surrender as she heard Chloe approach from behind. Her own breathing still a little ragged, Max looked over her shoulder to see Chloe approach her slowly with an evil grin on her face. _Fuck me, I'm hella screwed._ Max felt her legs buckle as she turned to meet her fate; Chloe barely caught the pink-haired girl in time as Max passed out.

 _The lighthouse shook as it was buffeted by severe winds as Max leaned against the rattling staircase's metal railing. Looking down to the ground floor as the lights flickered on and off, Max wondered how she got where she was only to nearly be knocked over the rail as something struck against the lighthouse. Max jumped back when she saw the first piece of debris come plummeting from above and screamed when a larger piece accompany it. Racing down the stairs, Max watched chunk after chunk until she could no longer bear it and looked up from where she was standing._

 _The entire lantern was gone, enclosure and all. A large open space resided where the light had once been with rain pouring into the structure where Max was currently located. Her mind buzzing with dread and worry, Max raced down the final levels of stairs until she made it too the doorway. Max saw the old metal door lying on the ground next to the steps outside and nearly slipped on the mud when her feet hit the ground. Looking out past the cliff, Max saw the tornado from her dreams and watched as something was lifted by the disastrous storm and hurtled across the beachfront towards her when she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder._

"Max? Babe, you okay?" Max heard Chloe ask as her eyes snapped open.

"Uh, w-what happened?" Max's face flushed as she noticed the look of intensity in Chloe's eyes as the bluenette stared down at her.

"You nearly fell down the stairs. I caught you and it looked like you had passed out. Guess you just blinked really slowly. Catching your breath in the face of inevitability?" Chloe asked with a modest attempt at sounding cheerful.

"Yeah. I guess." _What…What did I just see_? _It didn't feel like a dream…_

Helping Max up, Chloe decreed she would have vengeance at a time of her own choosing. Max didn't feel like arguing so she agreed to Chloe's conditional armistice and let her girlfriend help her down the remaining stairs. A voice could be heard on the other side of the door as the girls approached it with only hostility discernable through muffled words. Having nowhere to hide, Max switched the lights off and prayed they could slip out before whoever was on the other side turned the lights back on.

"Where the fuck is she? Her shit's outside, so she's gotta be somewhere around here…" Max recognized the voice from the parking lot back in Portland. _Frank?! Nonononono…_

Max grabbed Chloe's hand and kissed her in the dark before pulling the taller girl along as she bum-rushed Frank for to get outside. Hearing the man swear behind them as Max dragged Chloe along, she shook her head when Chloe shouted something about getting their stuff. Max was desperate. She had seen how things went last time and though she had time powers, Max had no desire to try her luck. _I just passed out. Who the fuck knows what might happen_? A gun shot decided for her and Max felt herself freeze in her tracks as Frank could be heard approaching them. Turning around stiffly, Max pulled Chloe towards her and stood defensively in front of the taller girl.

"Getting your girlfriend or whatever to fight your battles for ya?" Frank asked with a leer as he waved a handgun in one hand, "You think I wouldn't come after you, Chloe? You owe me three grand; of course I'm going to come after you!"

"I have a fight tomorrow, dude! Back the fuck down and I can get you the winner's pot. Just…just give me a chance," Chloe pleaded as she untangled herself from Max to stand next to her girlfriend. "Leave her out of this."

"She's already 'in this', dumbass. The second this kid got involved with you she was in deep. You think I haven't seen you two, haven't been watching? You hang around together all the time, but in public places. Now, though, you're here and I've got you both to myself. Chloe, you done fucked up."

" _I_ can pay you." Ignoring the angry look on Chloe's face, Max watched as Frank's attention shifted over to her. "I can pay you the three grand, and then you can leave us alone. Deal?"

"No dice, kid, but thanks for the offer. Nah, part of this is about leaving people who get in with me a reminder about what happens when you fuck with me. If Chloe can't pay me after this you'll just pick up her tab anyway," Frank said as he aimed at Max before turning his line of sight towards Chloe. "Deal?"

Max reacted before Frank could pull the trigger. Running at the outstretched arm, Max managed to grab the gun with one hand as she leveled her own arm up. The gun seemed to stretch and twist as it was distended by Max grabbing something being held during a single point in time. Pulling with all her strength as she kept her other arm raised to keep time rewinding, Max freed the gun from Frank's grasp. _That was easy. This…this is going to be hella fucking hard._ Pulling time back to the point where Frank was about to enter the lighthouse, Max flipped on the lights before pulling out the gun.

"Max?! Are you fucking crazy?" Chloe hissed under her breath as the door knob turned, "Where…where the fuck did you get that?"

"From the person I'm about to point it at." Max tried to sound braver than she felt, having to grip the handgun with both hands to steady it. She watched the door open, planting herself directly across from the entrance. "Hands up, Frank."

Frank Bowers looked at the pink-haired girl holding what looked to be _his_ gun in confusion. The door open wide behind him, Frank made a move towards Max only to feel a bullet skim across his left ear. _Ohmygod_ , Max thought, _Good Dog, I shot him. I actually shot him. Goodbye, what good karma I actually had._

"Jesus Christ, you shot me!" Frank yelled as he cupped his bleeding ear, "You fucking shot me!"

"And what were _you_ planning with your gun, eh?" Max could see Chloe looking at her as realization began to dawn on the bluenette's face, Max's girlfriend spinning to glare at Frank. _She knows. Che pieced it together. She told me to not use it on her unless it was life or death. Around her works, too._

Max had something of a monologue popping into her head when a booted foot smacked Frank clean in the face. Looking over at Chloe in amazement as she knelt down by a more profusely bleeding Frank, Chloe patted him down with one hand as she swatted his feeble attempts to block her with the other. Satisfied that his gun was somehow in Max's hands, Chloe lifted him up and threw him against the wall. Max felt a lump of fear begin to form in her throat as words seemed to fail her. She could only watch in a mixture of awe and horror as Chloe laid into Frank with blow after blow, fists and feet flying in a dizzying array of strikes that ultimately left Frank unconscious on the floor. Observing a Chloe who had cut loose on her "opponent", Max felt her hands tremble and she quickly set the gun down on the lighthouse floor only to see Chloe spin around and take a guarded stance at her.

"Chloe!" Max cried out as Chloe went to punch her only to hold her fist back, snapping out of whatever had just consumed her. Max was stunned; words and thought failed her as she fell to her knees. She had saved Chloe's life again, and her own life on top of it, only to witness the savagery of a girl that Max thought she had come to know once again.

"Max…Max, I-" Chloe's appeal turned desperate when Max flinched at the outstretched hand offering assistance with getting the pink-haired girl to her feet, "Please, Max. Please don't be scared."

Chloe on the verge of tears and Max struck dumb by what she had just seen, both girls were on the verge of collapsing internally when Max looked out the doorway and noticed something peculiar. Scrambling to her feet, Max walked past a dejected Chloe and an unconscious Frank to reach out a hand for the newly falling snow. _Snow? It's like 80 degrees out._

"It's snowing?" Chloe's audible inquiry made Max pause her own thoughts as she turned to look at her saddened girlfriend.

"C'mere," Max said as she held out her arms for Chloe to slowly approach and become wrapped in an embrace. _I had the gun, she nearly beats a guy to death, and we're both fucked up. Just another day in Arcadia Bay._ "I'm sorry for the momentary freak out, Che. I've just never seen you do that to _anybody_. Ever."

"I…I kinda black out when I get hella pissed like that," Chloe explained between kisses on the top of Max's head, "I'm so sorry, Max. I never would've hit you, I fucking swear. Hey, what's with the hella strange weather?"

 _A storm_ , Max thought as she peeked over Chloe's shoulder to look out at the coastline, a vision of the tornado from her nightmares haunting her perception. _A storm is coming…_

 **Author's Note**

 **Eheheheh XD**

 **I posted on Tumblr, but for those of you not inclined to use that website I am taking prompts for a Pricefield one-shot which I will post tomorrow night. I will pick** _ **one**_ **prompt, with the word count not being set according to a specific length – the story will go however long I wish it to. DM me here if you don't use Tumblr for your prompts and I'll see you in Chapter 8! Oh whatever party could Kate have meant…? How will Punk Max and Chloe attending alter the course of events in comparison to the actual game? Will Victoria end up with paint on her fucking cashmere?**

 **If you've enjoyed this so far, you haven't seen anything yet.**

 **Read, review, and I will see you on Monday for Chapter 8!**

 **Prompts!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**

 **PS – in this AU, Max's official nickname for Kate is "Cinnamon Roll" because reasons and also due to stuff and things.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Why'd You Bring a Shotgun to the Party**

 **Song by The Pretty Reckless**

 **Trigger Warning - self-harm mentioned**

"Chloe Price, if you don't pull that hand back now I will slap it. I don't care if you're some kind of ninja or whatever, I will throw down on you," Dana Ward said as she glared territorially at Chloe in the girls' dormitory bathroom.

"Max, your friends are picking on me!" Chloe cried out in feigned distress, "Make 'em fucking stop!"

"Suffer for a little bit longer, Che, or your hair is next. I have an extra pink dye, y'know," Max said, eyes closed and grinning as she sat in a chair placed next to one of the sinks.

"Do I look like a pinky to you, Pinky?" Chloe retorted, a hand on her hip as she stuck her tongue out. Kate, sitting on the bench along the wall, relayed Chloe's physicality to the taller girl's chagrin only for all the girls to laugh at Max who shot a middle finger straight into the air.

"Bow," Max commanded, her voice breaking as a snigger escaped her lips.

The past week had gone far more smoothly than the preceding events of her birthday; at least, that's how Max currently felt. Spending the rest of "her day" in Chloe's bedroom, all plans put aside for pizza and movies in bed, Max had intentionally hit the brakes on all time-related shenanigans and hooligan-like activities in light of what occurred at the lighthouse. Trying to sequester herself to the dormitory when not in class had proved a challenge, one that Max ultimately failed. _Chloe had pouted because of course she did_ , _but she also knew perfectly well as to the reason why_. Max mentally shrugged as Chloe's pouts and puppy eyes had been met with a reluctant invitation to come over whenever Max wasn't in class. Still shaken by the beating Frank had taken, Chloe's vicious streak had weighed on Max's mind intermittently since last Saturday.

Seeing as she had a viciousness of her own, however, Max had been accommodating to Chloe need for closeness in the face of a brush with death she would actually remember and let the bluenette crash at her dorm room as much as was possible. _I still can't believe I actually shot Frank, though. That was…that was crazy. Wowsers-level crazy, honest to Dog. Sure, the alternative was both of us getting shot but holy balls it felt like I was carrying a death sentence in my hands._ Max clenched her hands into small fists as they trembled from the memory of cool metal slid into them. Squeezing a little tighter released a moment of eased tension as Max's knuckles popped and she flexed them while leaned back with her head in the sink.

Returning Sunday evening, Kate had essentially pounced upon Max once the punkster returned from the weekend with her girlfriend. Cajoling enough details, violence-free and time travel-free, Kate had giggled in elation at Max's confession of love towards Chloe and the reciprocation Max had received in turn. Hearing about the hair dye and seeing the slightly crestfallen look on Max's face, Kate had pulled Max over to Dana's room and knocked on the door. Kate having explained the situation, Dana agreed to help Kate look for dye when all three girls had a chance as a birthday present for their friend. Max had only smirked at the amazement of her not only making friends but helping to create new friendships; having hung out a few times, Kate and Dana had hit it off with Kate visiting Dana and Juliet in the latter's room at some point almost every evening. Now, nearly a week later, Max was at ease while Dana worked away at her hair.

"I was hoping I'd get to dye your hair," Chloe said, sticking her lip out more as she poured on a pout that Max couldn't even see, what with her eyes closed to prevent and possible injury from the chemicals sitting in her hair.

"You hope a lot of shit, Che," Max said, snickering at the huff she heard in reply. "Oh, don't be that way. You know I love you, babe. You're my 'Wonder Chlo'."

"Max, you can't see it right now but she's blushing so hard right now," Kate said as she watched the proceedings with an amused grin before poking at Chloe's calf with her foot, egging the bluenette on.

"I…I love you, too," Chloe admitted sullenly, her blushing increasing, "Oh, fucking stop grinning Kate. Max, Lady Jesus won't leave me alone!"

"You're a kickboxer, Chloe. Go kick a box," Max posited to her girlfriend, the proceeding disgruntled sound making Max laugh so hard Dana had to hold her head still for fear of dye trickling down the little punk's forehead.

"Max, you're going to look like a damn crayon if you don't hold still," Dana chided, glad that Max couldn't see her smiling at the remark about Chloe kicking a box.

"You're _so_ punny," Chloe said with a clipped tone as she crossed her arms, " _Sooooooo_ fucking punny."

"You just make it really easy, Che." Max could not help but feel relieved as the water was switched on. Feeling Dana run her hands through the freshly dyed hair to remove any leftover coloring, Max teasingly purred at the sensation only to feel a finger poke her in the ribs. "Agh! _Chloe_! Goddamnit!"

Patting her hair dry as she looked upon Dana's skillful handiwork, Max nodded appraisingly as she gently ran a comb through her entirely pink hair. Dana and Kate having headed back to their rooms for homework, what with the fun having ended, Max was left alone in the bathroom with Chloe. Seeing the forlorn punk sitting on the bench with the spare pink dye kit, Max's bemusement turned into a look of concern. Chloe had needed extra affection since their altercation with Frank; Max had been in need of Chloe, but Chloe had been practically desperate in wanting to be near Max. _She's still hella worried about her…her almost hitting me_ , Max thought dolefully as she finished tidying up her hair. Walking over to where Chloe was seated, Max noticed how deep in thought her girlfriend was. Pausing as she assessed her girlfriend, Max slowly reached a hand out and lifted Chloe's chin up by her index finger.

"Max…?" Chloe's attention diverted from wherever she had just been.

"Hush, lovely," Max cooed, her tone low and sweet as she leaned down and cupped Chloe's cheek before pressing her lips softly against her girlfriend's.

Breaking the long kiss into smaller kisses as their lips would disconnect only to come together a second later, Max pulled Chloe up from the bench. Tossing the dye that Chloe was still holding aside, Max pressed her girlfriend's hand into the small of her own back as Max wrapped her arms over Chloe's shoulders. Both girls beginning to pant between each connection of their lips as though they were burning from the inside, Max leaned her head against Chloe's chest as the fire abated. _Whew_ was all Max was able to conjure in her head. The grin on her face told a different story, however, as Max pulled one arm back to her side before slipping it under Chloe's shirt.

"Hey there, 'Lil Miss Frisky'," Chloe said with a slight chuckle as she pulled Max's hand out of her shirt, "We're in the bathroom. A _public_ bathroom. I don't feel like getting kicked out because you're fucking horny. Not that I don't mind a horny Max."

"Then indulge me and indulge yourself, Chloe Price," Max said with a sarcastic grin as she pulled Chloe by both arms into the shower stall furthest from the door.

Swiping the curtain shut with a single jerking motion, Max began to unbutton Chloe's black and red flannel shirt. Taking her time, Max relished the increased speed of Chloe's breathing as the taller girl placed her hands on Max's hips and ran her thumbs under the punkster's waistline. _I've never seen you naked, Che. We've come close but that was in the dark of my room or yours. I've never witnessed you. You hide yourself, despite the tough-as-nails shit, but I want kinda to prostrate before you. I want to take you all in._

"Let me see?" Max asked, looking up at Chloe in all seriousness as she bit her lip with a wanting swelling up inside.

"…Okay." The simplicity of Chloe's acceptance spoke to how quick she wanted Max to peer behind the layers.

Max made a game of it for herself, counting off each article of clothing removed from the bluenette's lean frame as she felt Chloe tug at her own clothes. _Flannel shirt, tank-top, sports bra, jeans, boy shorts, socks, boots._ Closing her eyes as she slid the last of Chloe's garments away, Max put a hand to Chloe's chest and took in the rapid, thunderous crashing of her girlfriend's heart. No longer content in letting Chloe bide her time, Max nearly ripped off her own clothes with sudden, jerking movements until she was stripped bare before the bluenette. Hearing Chloe gasp, Max thought of all the little battle scars from her years of pain.

"I…I was a cutter, Che," Max said in a somber voice as she gestured from the thin scars to a couple of burn marks hidden behind her hair, "I had cigarettes snubbed on me by a foster parent when I was fourteen. I've probably b-been in more bar fights by my 16th birthday than most people will ever see in their lifetime. I'm scarred and, well, a little fucking broken. T-Treat me gently, okay?"

Max kept her eyes shut through what felt like a sacred confession, her eyes welling up with tears as her voice shook towards the end of her litany. She couldn't believe the words that had just come from her mouth, spilling out some of the more battered memories from her five years in and out of homes and lives. What was worst of all to her, however, was that she couldn't bear to see the look Chloe might have on her face. _I know that she wouldn't, she_ is _Chloe after all, but what if she ends up dropping me without a word? She's gone through a lot, and it all might be too much. I've been fucked with before. I just need to trust her. Dog, this is so hard._ Max felt her body shake as she fought off the urge to get sick from all the anxiety and sudden nervousness as she felt more naked in that moment than she had in almost five years.

"Max. Hey," Max felt the tenderness in Chloe's voice and nearly broke down right where she stood, a hand gently taking her chin and tilting her face slightly upwards, "Max, please look at me. You're amazing and beautiful. Please don't go away." Max obeyed Chloe's gentle request, opening her eyes with a shaky giggle only to have all breath escape her in a single exhalation.

Chloe was pale, but not overly so. There was a statuesque quality to her complexion, as though the bluenette had been chiseled from marble and had become slightly weathered over the years. The lines of her muscles played off the shower's light bulb, accentuating the leanness of her wiry frame. _She's like a scary punk ghost_ , Max thought as she took in a deep breath to try and calm herself. Carefully running her hand down Chloe's abdomen, Max traced the lines of Chloe's toned abs with a finger. Feeling Chloe shiver, Max remembered that Chloe was just as ticklish as she and began to pull her hand away.

"No! I mean… _no_ , Max," Chloe nearly burst into a fit of giggling but caught herself while they both looked at the shower curtain in anticipation of a reaction to the outburst. Chloe looked anxious to Max, and as hesitant as the punkster felt herself. The pink-haired girl watched as her girlfriend seemed to struggle with what she was going to say next, as though the words held a significant weight. Taking Max's hand, Chloe stepped from the changing area and into the actual shower with Max turning on the water before Chloe spoke once more. "Keep going, Max. Just keep going."

Her fingers shaking as she pressed her hand once more onto the firm skin, Max explored Chloe with an innate curiosity. Running her hands up from Chloe's navel, Max felt the firmness of Chloe's body as she ran hands along the collarbone, shoulders, and arms. Deciding that she was finished for the moment, Max bit her lip and smacked her hands against Chloe's ass playfully as she stood on her tip-toes to kiss the bluenette affectionately to Chloe's visible amusemen. Tenderness giving way to a barely restrained hunger for more closeness, Max wanted to taste Chloe and only Chloe as her tongue quickly found its way into Chloe's mouth. Past the tinge of beer, beyond the faint acridity of pot on her breath, Max took all of those things in and cast them aside before finding a warmth in her girlfriend's mouth that was solely Chloe Price.

"M-Max…? Ease up, girl," Chloe said between Max's feverish kisses, "Max?"

"You…you're a goddamn wonder, Chloe Elizabeth Price," Max let out in a pant before resting her head against Chloe's chest with their hands intertwined. Max's breathing evened out slowly, a pace kept in check through the beating of her girlfriend's heart, "Why the fuck am I so lucky to have you in an otherwise shitty life?"

"I'm fucking awesome and you could use some good karma," Chloe whispered in Max's ear before resting her chin on top of Max's head. "Uh, were we going to actually shower? We have your dyed-up towel and that's it, Maxaroni."

"Shit."

Tying Chloe's flannel shirt across her waist, Max pulled at the clinging t-shirt she wore as Chloe wrapped the towel around her. _This is, well, this is going to hella suck._ Sticking her head out of the stall's outer curtain, Max looked toward the partly open shower room door. Grabbing their clothes, Max pulled Chloe along as she dashed out into the hall and to her door. Hearing Chloe let out a whooping sound of giddiness, Max grimaced and rolled her eyes at the lack of stealth on Chloe's part when stealth was actually needed. _Chloe, do you even sneak?_ Pulling her giggling bluenette inside, Max closed and locked the door before slapping Chloe teasingly on the shoulder.

"You ass! The whole idea of making a run for it is to _not_ get noticed!" Max said, her tone giving away the amusement that was hidden by her stern facial expression. _Ugh, why the fuck didn't we just put on our dirty clothes? I wasn't thinkin straight._ Her stomach fluttering at the memory of her hand on Chloe's bare skin, Max knew why the idea of clothes hadn't come to her but didn't want to admit her own absentmindedness. "What the fuck were you thinking, making all that noise when we're _this_ close to streaking down the hall?"

"Freeeeeeedoommmmmmm!" Chloe cried out with her best impression of Mel Gibson's William Wallace, dropping her towel as she raised her fists into the air. Eyes automatically squeezing shut, Max heard a chuckle and groaned in response. "Max, dude, you _can_ look. You just fucking saw me naked _in the shower_ and you get bashful now? That is precious. Look, I just slipped my shorts on so it's chill."

"…You fucking cereal?" Max asked, her tone one of caution as she scowled, "Don't be fucking with me, Chloe."

"I swear by all that is hella, babe."

Opening her eyes, Max let out a gasp as her face turned red from the nude, smirking Chloe standing before her. Slapping Chloe again on the shoulder, Max let out a "Fucking Jesus shit!" before crashing face first into her bed. Clutching at the bedspread with her hands to prevent Chloe from moving her, the punkster let out a lengthy string of cusswords with a muffled voice as she heard Chloe snigger. _Why the fuck am I so awkward now? I just saw her n-naked so this makes no sense to me. Why do I…Why do I feel so shy, and_ why _does she have to be so naked? D-Don't do shit like that, Chloe! I-I'm not…_ ugh _!_ Feeling her girlfriend climb into bed as the springs creaked slightly, Max kept her face buried in the comforter as Chloe moved to lay on top of her. Feeling a modest degree of relief at the sensation of fabric meeting fabric, Max sighed when she came to the conclusion that Chloe had at least gotten dressed. Unfastening herself from the bedding, Max slowly turned to look over her shoulder with narrowed eyes and a smirk.

"You…are fucking awful, Chloe Price," Max said between faint giggles, "Like, the most awful of awfuls. Hella awful."

Dressed in a tank-top and fight shorts, Chloe observed the bashful punkster lying beneath her with an apprehensiveness that caught Max off-guard. Shifting herself around so that she lying on her back, Max looked up at Chloe when the bluenette frowned with a pained look in her eyes. _Dude, you're as moody as I am. Seriously, though, something's up with Chloe. I should probably ask, or I'll feel like shit and she'll just change the topic of whatever's on her mind._

"Hey," Max said, leaning up to bite gingerly at Chloe's pouty lip before cupping her girlfriend's cheek, "You can fucking talk to me, y'know. I can rewind time, Che, not read minds."

"I'm…I'm sorry, Max," Chloe said, pausing in mid-sentence as though her words didn't fit in her mouth right, "I'm sorry about getting my rage on at the lighthouse. I just got so freaked out. Frank went for a gun and you _had_ the gun, dude."

"We talked about this," Max replied, equally concerned about what had transpired but not as willing to discuss it.

"No, it got brought up once and that was immediately after it had happened. You were so fucking quick to drop it that I've been hella nervous about it." Chloe slid off her resting position on Max and took a spot on the bed's edge, "Max…I-I scare myself sometimes, okay? What happened at the lighthouse terrified me."

"Go on." Picking up on Chloe's seriousness, Max sat up and swung her legs over so that she was seated next to the bluenette. "Seriously, Chloe. Go on."

"I get so mad that there are times I can't think straight. If you hadn't called out to me, if I hadn't heard your voice when you said my name…I think I might have done something I'd regret forever…"

Max got up from the bed and went over to crack open a window. The early evening light splashed the final moments of sunset across her face as she took a puff from her vape. Just letting the vapor seep out from between her gritted teeth, Max leaned against the sill and paused while looking out at the courtyard below.

"Max," Chloe's voice was soft and worried, "Please say something. Anything. Just don't shut down on me, okay? You're the one with powers, not me."

"Not to sound fucking cliché, Chlo, but 'I've seen some shit', okay?" Moving to rejoin Chloe on the bed, Max delicately pulled Chloe to her, resting the bluenette's head in her lap as she ran a hand through blue locks. "I was fucking terrified too, but I don't think you would have hit me. Not really. I, fuck this is hard, I trust you."

"Trusting me is hard?" Chloe sounded hurt at Max's statement before letting Max finish speaking.

"Trusting anyone is hard for me, Chloe," Max's matter-of-fact tone and deadpan expression did little to ease the look of trepidation on Chloe's face, but Max continued, "I just need you to try and keep 'Chloe smash' in check around me? Please?"

"Dude, I don't want to rage at all," Chloe said, nuzzling her head deeper into Max's lap, "That's _why_ I fight. I'm so fucking angry all the time that I need to vent it out either in practice or an actual fight. Are you…Are you still scared of me?"

"I was never scared of you, Che," Max leaned down to kiss Chloe on the cheek, "Worried and afraid _for_ you is more like it. Now up. No more worries for tonight, okay? We have a party to escort someone to as back-up."

* * *

"I can't believe I let you drag me to one of these fucking Vortex parties, Kate Marsh," Max said, nearly shouting to try and get Kate to hear her over the abrasive music blaring out of the gym's PA system. "If it weren't for Chloe being here, I'd be all in for vengeance right here and now."

"You wouldn't do anything, Max," Kate said with a wry smile, "I'm surprised you were even able to try and get that threat out…if that was an actual threat…"

"You're lucky I like you so damn much," Max snapped back, eyeing Kate before shaking her head in resignation, "Ugh, Kate. _Ugh_ with a fucking cherry on top."

The Blackwell gymnasium had been converted into a giant-sized club, the basketball court converted into a dance floor and night club. Watching with something akin to repulsion as the other students spun around and danced with their glow sticks as a DJ mixed her playlist from the bleachers a few rows above, Max was towed along with Chloe by an eager Kate Marsh. Wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a black tank-top, Max had opted to not dress up for the party she was being cajoled into. _Wow, Blackwell, you're so into the cool shit, with your…chips and soda. Holy fuck, I'm at a 10 year old's birthday party and the clowns forgot their makeup._ Feeling her girlfriend's hand decouple from her own, Max looked behind her to see Chloe chatting it up with a Blackwell student. Chloe bumped fists with the student after a few minutes of discussion before heading over to link up with Max, the pinkette's hand outstretched for Chloe to take. Feeling Chloe's hand slide into her own, Max gave the bluenette a pained smile before mouthing _Help!_

"Dude, you got us _both_ into this," Chloe said, a half-smile on her face, "I can't believe you convinced me to come to one of these parties. Vortex assholes."

"Dog, it's a fucking domino effect. You blame me and I blame Kate. How about a photo then, so that we can remember how shitty we both feel?" Max said, the sarcasm in her voice causing the bluenette to snicker. "Come on, Chloe. Let me make you a star."

"I'll settle for you making me drunk or high at this point, but a photo with my girlfriend will do for now."

Chloe bent down so that her head was rested against Max's shoulder. Taking one photo of them smiling while flipping off the camera, Max and Chloe both laughed when they turned their heads to give the other a surprise kiss. Taking that shot as well, Max bumped her forehead against Chloe's affectionately before they looked at the photographs. Kate coming over to join them, Max asked one of the partygoers to take one last shot of the three girls standing together with their arms over each other's shoulders as they smiled for the camera. _At least we'll have these photos,_ Max thought pleasantly, _At least we have each other._

"Kate," Max said as she reached over to tap her friend on the shoulder, "No offense, but what the fuck are we _actually_ doing here? I mean, you do not seem the type for _this_ type of party."

"Maybe I want to try something different, Max," Kate said, a little hurt at Max's statement.

"I didn't mean anything bad by what I said," Max quickly replied with an apologetic smile, "It's just that there is _different_ and there is _mind-bogglingly drastic_ , Kate. How about Chloe and I take you to Two Whales for some food and then we just go hang out?"

"Max, I came here to try and make new friends," Kate's tone became defensive, "I hear what people say about me, that I preach and act all holier than thou. I want to have fun like they do, Max."

"You're fine as you are, Kate. You don't need to try and mingle with a crowd like this. Look at them," Kate watched Max's gesturing hand and the people it was aimed at, "You don't drink, you don't smoke. Half of them are already either totally high or drunk."

"And you don't get that way?"

"That is _not_ what I meant and you know it," Max said, her own voice starting to sound wounded, "I'm _already_ your friend, Kate. Can't we just-"

"If you didn't want to really come with me, then you shouldn't have, Max."

Max let out a groan of frustration as Kate walked off and through the crowd. _Nice going, Max. Such a great fucking friend I am. Honest to Dog, maybe I_ am _being a little harsh on these kids._ Looking around at the party attendees, Max shook her head and sighed. _Nope. I'm not. I'm_ really _not. This is, like, Douchebag Central._ Max whipped out her cellphone as she found a clear space along a wall to lean herself against.

 **Max: Rachel. Halp. High school preppy party.**

 **Rachel: LMFAO U A SCHOOL PARTY?! ROFLMFAO XD**

 **Max: Sure. Laugh at my pain. When I get arrested for going** _ **Carrie**_ **on these annoying shits I will say that I was peer-pressured by my sister. Such angst. So preppy. Very douche.**

 **Rachel: Wow.**

 **Max: Wow.**

 **Rachel: XD So where's ur lady at?**

 **Max: I wish someone would tell me who dis lady is. I see Chloe, but no lady…*looks for lady, finds none***

 **Rachel: lol how's school?**

 **Max: s'alright. How's Seattle?**

 **Rachel: It misses you**

 **Rachel: So do I**

 **Max: I miss you too, Sis. I'll see if Chloe would be up for a trip. Maybe meet in Portland again, for actual hanging out?**

 **Rachel: YAAAAAAS Imma leave you to ur ABC Family bullshit, now. Have "fun"**

 **Max: love u 2**

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Max looked around her but couldn't make out either Kate or Chloe as she pushed herself off the wall and began to wade through the crowed. The party music was a pain in the ear for Max, the pinkette never hearing electronica and techno played over and over in a seemingly unending repetition. Chloe having separated from Max to hang out with some of her friends who still attended Blackwell and Kate having vanished altogether, Max was beginning to feel a bit out of place among the swarm of happy-go-lucky teenagers dancing and partying all around her. Kate was at the party to try and make new friends, but Max didn't actually care to socialize; taking a hit from her vape, Max just watched the mindless spectacle of what looked to her like a bad teen comedy while trying to navigate her way through it. _All we need is Jonah Hill and a fucking godawful soundtrack._ Max paused her train of thought to take in the techno blasting into her ears. _Oh, wait, we_ have _the fucking godawful soundtrack. Point's to you, Vortex Club. Good game._ Feeling someone bump up from behind her, Max's vape went clattering to the ground and she let out a mildly disgusted sigh before turning to see Warren Graham smiling at her drunkenly.

" _What_?" Max asked, her tone and face giving away her irritation to an oblivious Warren. _Are you fucking kidding me? I get my vape knocked out of my mouth by_ this guy _?_

"Max, right?" Warren asked, sipping at what Max could only guess was beer in his red party cup before trying to move in for a hug, "Heyyyyy."

"Whoa there, motherfucker. You're drunk, uh…Waldo, right? Willis?" Max asked, snickering when she saw the crestfallen look on the boy's face, "Sorry. Only really talked to you that one time, dude, and I'm usually not the best with names. Also, you're hella drunk and thinking for some reason I might hug you. Do I _look_ like the hugging type?"

"Um, sorry, I guess? It's Warren, by the way, and I've had like _half_ a beer so I'm _fiiine_. So, Max, you here by your lonesome or are you with _that_ girl?" Warren asked. _Lonesome? Easy, cowboy. Your diet liquid courage does not a smooth talker make. Also, your tween bromones are repelling my gay. Back the fuck up, red solo cup._

" _That_ girl?" Max asked, crossing her arms as she quirked an eyebrow, " _Oh_. You mean _my girlfriend_? The one who is a kickboxer? _That_ girl? Hey, _Warren_ , how 'bout I go get her and we can all talk?"

Max enjoyed Warren's instant sobriety, his eyes widening as the punkster called out and signaled Chloe over from across the gym towards where they were standing. Max turned back to find Warren gone, and let out a sigh of relief. _No, please. Stay. Don't go, Warren. No…actually, yes, please. Go. Be free while you can._ Max felt a little bad about teasing the boy so much, fairly sure that he _might_ be okay once he was able to learn how much he could drink. Unfortunately for Warren, Max was not willing to wait. Chloe sauntering over with her typical crooked grin, Max clutched at her girlfriend's arms.

"Help. I'm being attacked by walking assholes. Seriously, assholes that have grown arms and legs. They're walking around, talking to me, and I don't speak shithead," Max said, feigning a horrified look on her face. Smiling at Chloe's response of breaking into a fit of laughter, Max stood on her tip-toes to give her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek before pulling back her leather jacket to reveal a couple of joints tucked away. "Smoke and a pancake?"

"Bong and a blintz?" Chloe asked in return, winking, "I see what you did there, Caulfield, and so does Jesus."

"No, she's over there," Max retorted, smiling as she pointed over to where she had spotted Kate chatting away with Dana and Juliet, "Should I tell her that we're heading out for a bit? We kinda got into it…"

"Dude, that's what fucking cell phones are for. What next, you going to marvel us with the invention of the wheel? Ooh, Max, did you know that if you fucking rub two sticks together, it is as though the Sun's warmth magically appears before you?"

"Smartassness, thy name is Chloe," Max said, taking Chloe's proffered arm into her own, "C'mon, Wonder Chlo. Let's go find something fun to do that doesn't involve douchebaggery."

* * *

"Can I pick 'em or can I pick 'em, Max?" Chloe asked, both girls soaking their legs in the heated water of Blackwell's heated swimming pool.

"It was _my_ idea to splish splash, Che," Max said, blowing out a smoke ring as she toked before passing the joint to Chloe, "Chloe, I am _so_ out of place here. Blackwell, Arcadia Bay, this whole area. How did you last here without me?"

"Despite reports to the contrary, you're not exactly the center of my being, babe," Chloe chuckled to Max's response of flipping the bluenette off before taking a long drag and holding it for a moment. Blowing the smoke out from her nose, Chloe continued on. "It wasn't fucking easy, Max. Shit, babe, I don't want to talk about this. Maybe if you hadn't gone through so much bullshit…"

"Hey," Max said, putting a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder encouragingly, "Chloe. _Nothing_ you went through deserves to be downplayed. We both…We both had our individual shit that went down. P-Please, Chloe. You can talk to me."

"…You know about step-ass, so there's that," Chloe said, smiling in thanks as Max handed her the second joint she had just lit, "Well, I got hella pissed when Joyce brought his ass to our house. I hit all of what she'd no doubt call the 'rebellious phase' bullshit: tattoos, piercings, and drugs. You've seen the tats and piercings, so no surprise there. Shit like that."

"…What drugs?" Max asked, her tone becoming one of concern.

"Relax, Pinky. Weed and booze is the limit of my drug shenanigans. Girl Scout's honor and all that. Anyway, after a while getting high and drunk off my ass wasn't enough. The anger didn't fucking leave, and I needed an out. Ironically, the stepdouche who pissed me off helped me find the outlet for my being hella pissed all the damn time. Thus, the kickboxing queen you see before you. Bow."

"Max!" Dana yelled down the hall, loud enough to catch Max's ear as she and Chloe were snapped out of their intimate poolside discussion. " _Max_!"

"Jesus, Dana, what is it?" Max asked as she ran out into the hallway, still shoving one foot into a sneaker, "Whoa. Hey, are you okay?"

Dana's mascara was running and her eyes were wide open and darting back and forth. _Shit, are you high on something hardcore? Your eyes are… oh shit, where's Kate?_ Yelling to Chloe that she'd be right back, Max sat a panicking Danaon a bench set up along the hall. Max tried to console her anxious friend, but Dana only got back on her feet and paced.

"Max, she's gone! I-I think something happened," Dana said, her voice shaking as she gestured wildly with her hands.

"You have to tell me what happened first, Dana," Max said, her voice calm and measured as images of Kate in a variety of states crossed her mind. _I promised I would keep an eye on her and she's gone. We weren't even away for that long!_ "Dana. Dana, I need you to breathe and chill. Tell me what's going on. Can you do that?"

"Y-Yeah…," Dana took a couple of quick breaths before seeing Max motion for her to take a seat. Sitting back down alongside the punkster, Dana fidgeted on the bench as she looked over at Max, "Juliet…she drank the water Kate had left behind. It was only half empty so she didn't think it was that big of a deal…but then she got really dizzy and passed out on the couch. Max, when I looked at the bottle there was a thin paste sitting in the bottom, like something powdery had been mixed in. N-Now Kate's gone and I can't find her anywhere!"

Max's eyes began to dart around as she tried to remember when she'd seen Kate with a drink. _She had a glass of wine shortly after we got here, but she set it down because she didn't feel like drinking after a sip or two. Fuck, was the water already laced or did someone do it when she wasn't watching?_ Max tried to come up with a search plan, but with such a large crowd at the party the likelihood of finding anyone who had really paid attention to Kate's whereabouts was unlikely. _Motherfucker!_ Max bit her lip to restrain the scream building up in her throat. _I could try and rewind that far back, but I've never gone that far. I-It's a risk, but Kate needs my help and I'm the only one who can right now._

"Tell Chloe I'll be right back, in case she didn't hear me or whatever," Max said to Dana, the tall brunette nodding like an automaton. Leaving her friend and girlfriend behind, Max headed back down the hallway and into the makeshift club being used for the party.

Breton's "Get Well Soon" played through the speakers and the strobe lights cast a dim, red glow that was overlaid with white pinpoints of white light. Shoving her way through the crowd, Max saw Warren begin to head in her direction but ignored his attempts at getting her attention. _Don't have time for your shit, dude._ Max made it halfway to the bar when she felt someone pull at her shoulder from behind. Turning from the jerking motion, Max's clenched fists relaxed when she saw Chloe looking at her with a concerned look on her face.

"If someone drugged Kate, did you really fucking think I was going to let you walk around here without me as your back-up?" Max heard Chloe ask, the seriousness in her girlfriend met with an appreciative smile.

"I like it when you're bossy," Max replied, taking Chloe's hand, "C'mon. We'll try the bar first and see if anyone noticed anything. I don't want to rewind unless I absolutely have to, Che."

Making their way through the horde of clueless partygoers, Max and Chloe had to press themselves against the bar in order to remain there as students came and went with a variety of drinks. _No hooch in the public bar,_ Max thought as she cast a glance toward the curtained-off area, _No doubt something is being served in the VIP section, but there's no way Victoria and her fucking lackeys would let Kate in there._ Redirecting her attention to the guy keeping the drinks supplied, Max snapped her fingers to try and catch his attention. Whether he was ignoring her or couldn't actually hear the pinkette didn't concern Max; taking her attempt at getting the bartender's attention to the next step, Max slammed her open palm on the folding table he was using to get him to look her way.

" _Hey_!" Max shouted, her palm hitting the table a second time with the drinks shaking from the impact.

"What?" the bartender asked while giving Max a look of frustration, "I'm not serving alcohol, I don't _have_ alcohol, so get lost."

"I'm not looking for booze, dude," Max retorted, grabbing a bottled water, "Did you see a blonde girl come over and take one of these? Her hair was in a bun, cross necklace over a blouse?" Max scowled at the bartender as he looked down at the table while in thought. _C'mon!_

"…Yeah. Yeah, she was here. Along with a bunch of other kids, _kid_ ," the bartender said in a mildly irritated but curious tone, "Odd seeing someone dressed so plain at one of these parties. Shit usually gets pretty wild, but the guy serving back in VIP knows more about that than me. She got a water and took off. So what?"

"Did you see… _ugh, what the fuck?!_ " Max asked as she felt someone shove into her from behind. Flipping the drunk student off, Max whipped herself back around to face the bartender, "Did you see if someone put something in her drink? She's missing."

"It's a party, kid. You don't really disappear so much as make yourself fucking scarce."

Concluding to herself that the bartender wasn't going to be any more help, Max looked over to see that Chloe had run off. Looking around as a creeping worry began to plague her, Max calmed herself after a moment and rationalized that if she didn't find Chloe now it would be of little consequence. _She's probably gone off on her own investigation._ _Not like I won't find her. I_ am _rewinding time._ Lifting her hand up, Max concentrated and pulled time to a halt before watching it begin to run backwards. Feeling a dull sensation behind her eye, Max winced as she watched Chloe approach her in reverse from the crowd before hanging around the table with her. Seeing the bartender get back to the beginning of their conversation, Max turned around with her hand still raised and felt as though the air was thickening. Vision blurring, Max nearly dropped her arm back to her side before she spotted Kate stumbling backwards away from a door that was being held open for her.

"Kate!" Max called out as loud as she could after lowering her arm. Slapping a hand onto the makeshift bar to support herself, Max felt a wave of dizziness hit her and her vision blurred for a few seconds. Blood trickled down both of Max's nostrils, the sensation of something like a hot needle being pushed into her brain drowned out almost all of her other sensations as she called out "Kate! Over here!" over the blaring music.

Max watched as Kate lazily turned around to see her and smiled when Kate Marsh giggled as she headed in her direction. Feeling her relief increase when Kate bumped into Dana and the tall brunette saw how out of it the blonde girl was, Max's vision faded as the pain in her head only grew. _Am I… I'm passing out. Someone help me…_

 _Please…_

* * *

Max started to become aware of her surroundings slowly. The first sensation that the pinkette felt was cold air against bare skin; Max's body seemed to be unwilling to respond to her increasingly lucid mental commands. _What's…What's going on? It's so bright_ , Max thought as she picked up on sequential flashes of light from behind the lids of her closed eyes. Grimacing at the brightness, Max tasted a coppery tang and remembered that her nose had started to bleed after she had rewound back to help find Kate. _Who was opening the door for her? Did they drug her?_

Parting her lips slowly, Max took in a breath of air in a near-silent gasp and heard a muffled voice that was silenced as quickly as she had started to pick up on it. Someone was banging hard against a wall or a door, a second voice could be heard yelling. _Is that… Chloe?_ Her motor functions returning, Max stiffly sat up and saw that she was in someone's dorm room. Looking down, Max's eyes widened in horror; her clothes had been partly removed, her pants unbuttoned but not unzipped and her top was ripped a bit at the collar. Realizing with dawning clarity what she had found herself in the midst of, Max looked toward the door to see someone facing it and matching the sounds of yelling coming from outside the room. _That_ is _Chloe_ , Max thought to herself as she recognized the jacket on her assaulter.

" _Prescott_ ," Max hissed under her breath, watching the boy stiffen at the menacing tone in her voice.

Not giving Nathan an opportunity to speak, Max reached for whatever was handy and swung a bedside lamp at the boy's head. Nathan dodged but was still clipped; falling to the floor to avoid the full impact, Nathan hastily turned onto his back only to find the sole of Max's boot headed directly for his face.

"You," Max growled, lifting and slamming her foot into Nathan's face before aiming towards his stomach, each word enunciated with a savage kick, "Stupid… _Goddamn_ … Mother _fucker_!"

"Max?! Max!" Chloe yelled from the other side of Nathan's door, "Max, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not fucking okay, Chloe!" Max snapped, her anger building as she noticed the camera Nathan was reaching for, one of his eyes beginning to swell shut from Max's kick. Max stomped on the grasping hand and took the camera for herself before landing one more kick. _Is this what you would've done to Kate, you sick fuck?! I should fucking_ end _you._ Letting out a scream, Max slammed her foot down to land only a couple inches from Nathan's face. Hearing him whimper, Max squatted down alongside him.

"If I see you again, asshole, you'll wish I fucking hadn't," Max whispered into Nathan's ear before getting up. Unlocking the door, Max stormed past an alarmed Chloe and various male students before slamming the door leading outside open.

"Max!" Max heard Chloe call after her as the pinkette continued to walk toward the girls' dormitory, the campus silent in the night save for faint music coming from the gym, "Would you fucking _wait_ , Max!"

Max flinched when Chloe grabbed her shoulder and instinctively shoved the taller girl away. She wasn't in the mood for being touched, or for trying to reassure anyone. _You can't be fucking serious, Chloe,_ Max thought as she eyed Chloe, _Y-You don't know what…You don't know what he was up to in there._

"Max, please," Chloe implored, her face and voice both giving away her worry and concern, "Talk to me. What was he-"

"Look at me, Chloe," Max said, her voice and tone neutral as she fought to stay calm, " _Look at me!_ My clothes are either undone or torn. What the fuck do you _think_ he was up to, huh? _What the fuck do you think he was going to do to me_?!"

Max shoved at Chloe, hot tears springing from her eyes before they ran down her cheeks at the anger and despair she felt. _I wish I hadn't come back here! I wish this fucking place would just_ burn _!_

"I'll go back and kick his-" Chloe's snarling threat was cut off when she saw the cold look on Max's face.

"Coming back to Arcadia Bay was a mistake. Seattle might be shit sometimes, but I've never been close to getting _raped_ ," Max said, shaking her head in defeat, "This town is a fucking mistake."

The words left unsaid filled the physical space between Max and Chloe with an awkwardness as both girls realized where any attempt at conversation would lead. Max didn't want to stay, and with Nathan lying on his dorm room floor with a bleeding face Max _wouldn't_ likely be staying. Max nearly rolled her eyes when she saw Chloe begin to get irritated but stopped herself for fear of incurring a wrath she had witness from the bluenette during their last trip to the lighthouse.

"So that's it? You're just going to up and leave me _again_ , Max?" Chloe spat, shoving Max in return for the smaller girl's shove, "All your fucking talk was just talk, empty goddamn words."

"Come _with_ me to Seattle, Chloe," Max said, grabbing Chloe's hands as the taller girl made to push her again, "Come _with me_. You, me, and Rachel: we can hang in Seattle or you and I can just take off somewhere else. This place is fucking evil, Chloe."

"You're serious?"

" _Hella_ serious, Che. I'm done with this place. _Done_."

Chloe was about to answer when the sound of police sirens grew in volume from the street. Both girls looking at each other in surprise, approaching police officers kept Max and Chloe frozen in place as they were led away in numbed shock. Dragging her feet as they nearly fell out from under her, Max watched Chloe get ushered into a separate police car as her head was pushed down and she was sat in the back seat of her own vehicle. Max tried to put together a coherent string of thought but could only open and close her mouth mutely to try and speak. Words failing her, she leaned into the back seat and watched as the car pulled away and Blackwell became more and more distant.

* * *

The twenty-four hours after Max's escape from Nathan Prescott were a blur to the punkster, a combination of bad coffee and rounds of questioning. Answering with one-word replies at first, the shock of everything still weighing on her, Max slowly came to her senses as the situation became clearer. Max could remember shouting, remembered seeing Chloe sitting next to her. _I can feel her hand in my own, and mine in hers_ , Max thought as she opened and closed her hands. _Her breath tasted like flat soda and weed when she kissed me outside the police station._

Clumsily reaching for her phone, Max's head throbbed when a single ray of afternoon sunlight came through the window and hit her square in the eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut, Max let out a groan as she sat back against the wall and flicked her finger across the screen. _Wowsers_ was Max's first thought at the list of message and voicemail notifications. Some of the numbers were unknown, but the text messages from unfamiliar numbers read like they were coming from fellow Blackwell students. _A voicemail from Principal Wells, asking me to see him Monday. A voicemail from Chloe, asking me if I was alright…_ Looking at the clock widget on her phone, Max looked out the window in surprise as she realized that it was Sunday.

"I've been out of it for _two days_?" Max asked herself aloud, lowering her head into her waiting hands as she ran fingers through her pink hair. Getting up from her bed, Max realized she hadn't changed clothes since before the party and stripped down before slipping into a simple pair of blue jeans and a grey hoodie. Grabbing her phone off the bed, Max tapped on the message icon for Chloe and began to type.

 **Max: Chloe?**

 **Chloe: FUCK! Max, where r u?**

 **Max: Uh, my room?**

 **Max: How is it Sunday?**

 **Max: What the fuck is going on?!**

 **Chloe: Babe, you've been MIA since Saturday morning when they cut us loose. U said u needed some time alone 2 think.**

 **Max: Oh. Where's Nathan?**

 **Chloe: Lawyered up would be my guess.**

 **Max: I don't want to be here anymore, Chloe. I'm sorry if that fucking hurts you but I CAN'T stand this place anymore.**

 **Max: Between that fucking creep and all the shit that's happened, I just want to bounce.**

 **Chloe: Max…**

 **Max: I remember telling you this, Che.**

 **Max: So are you with me?**

 **Chloe: Max, I still need 2 think about this.**

 **Max: I was nearly raped here, Chloe.**

 **Max: RAPED**

 **Max: And you want me to stay?!**

 **Chloe: Come live with me and Joyce, Mad Max. You kno u luv us**

 **Max: You're not listening**

 **Chloe: I AM listening, Max! You already ran once, dude, and look how that turned out.**

 **Max: I didn't RUN. I moved with my parents, Chloe. This isn't even about you, for fuck's sake.**

 **Max: Forget the offer.**

 **Max: Forget this place.**

 **Max: TTYL. I need time to think as well, I guess.**

Tossing the phone onto her desk, Max watched it vibrate as Chloe messaged her a few more times before stopping. _This place is a nightmare_ , Max thought before she let out a guttural moan and began to systematically tear apart her dorm room. Hearing whispers and hushed voices as she tore up the living space, Max grabbed her desk chair and flung it at the door, the sounds of startled girls hurrying away from her room giving Max a grim satisfaction. Max thought of the friends she had made at Blackwell, but friends came and went. _Just like everyone else in my life. Mom, Dad, Chloe, William. Even Rachel bails on me from time to time._ Sucking in air through bared teeth, Max kicked at the broken desk chair before noticing a photo that had fallen under her bed. In the chaos of destroying her dorm room, Max hadn't spotted the old Polaroid and could only vaguely remember it being on her wall. She remembered the memory behind it in vivid detail, though; Max took a seat on her tossed mattress and lit a joint as she gazed down at the old photo in her hand.

"Mom and Dad," Max's said, her voice cracking.

The first Polaroid she'd ever taken with her original instant camera, Max and her parents were standing together outside an old camera store in Seattle. Max could practically feel the warm summer air, the Sun beating down on what had originally been a perfect day. Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield had surprised their moping daughter with a trip to pique her interest in photography, Max having been depressed for weeks at leaving Arcadia Bay and Chloe. The storeowner had taken the shot from the doorway into her store, all three members of the Caulfield family smiling cheerfully when only minutes later two of them would be dead and Max would be alone.

Max was afraid she might cry when the photo seemed to gain depth, like a 2-D image turning into 3-D. Wiping at her eyes, Max dismissed the strange visual as a trick from the tears forming in her eyes before she dropped the picture at the sound of rush-hour traffic.

"What the…?" Max asked aloud, looking down at the Polaroid with a focused attention as the image started to waver and seemingly bounce within its small confines. Reaching down, Max felt her fingers brush against the photo and found herself somewhere else entirely.

* * *

"Max?" Ryan Caulfield asked his daughter, seeing the young girl reach toward the storeowner with an outstretched hand, "You with us, kiddo?"

"What?" Max asked, confused at the sight before her. _You're alive_ , Max thought as she looked first at her father before switching her attention to her mother. _Did I just…Did I just travel back in time…?_

"She doesn't look so good, hun," Vanessa Caulfield said, putting the back of her hand against Max's forehead, "She's not feverish, but she's a lot paler than she was a moment ago and her skin's a little clammy. You okay, sweetheart-"

Vanessa Caulfield didn't get a chance to finish her question when Max began to cry. Max didn't know herself whether the tears were happy or sad, only that she had never felt so homesick in all of her life. _This is just some fucked-up dream,_ Max thought, sniffling as her parents wrapped her up in a tight hug. _This isn't fair. They should really be here. They should still be alive._

"I missed you both so much," Max choked out between sobs, clutching at the shirts of both her parents with balled fists, "I-I missed y-you so much…"

Falling to her knees, Max's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath between her fits of crying and coughing. She wanted to die, the pain of seeing her parents looking so alive was too much for Max, and wished that if she were to die now to let her stay in this dream. Beginning to hiccup, Max shook her head violently and gripped her parents tighter when they tried to bring the small brunette to her feet.

"Oh, honey," Vanessa said as Ryan patted their daughter on the back, "Max, baby, we're right here. How can you have missed us when-"

The sound of squealing tires took all three Caulfields by surprise and Max was snapped out of her sadness in an instant. Watching as a vehicle that had been ingrained into memory shot down the street next to them, Max felt her heart lurch into her chest as it ran the stoplight and collided head-on with a taxi. Max remembered the taxi driver, a kind gentleman who had pulled her out of the wrecked Caulfield family car. Max could recall crying the entire time, from the instant he grabbed hold of her to the police's arrival and subsequent ambulance ride. Now, the acrid smell of burnt rubber made Max's nose wrinkle as she saw the same taxi driver stumble out of his vehicle with a bleeding gash on his forehead.

"Oh my God, Ryan," Max heard her mother say, feeling her parents tighten their hug as they looked on in shock. Max, beginning to feel lightheaded, watched through blurring vision as the speeding car's driver got out. Max couldn't quite make him out, but there was something oddly familiar…

 _…an image of the Caulfield's vehicle wrecked in downtown Seattle becomes a shot of the family tightly holding onto one another as they look at the vehicular collision a short distance away…_

 _…Max sitting in a darkened corner, her eyes open with a blank expression, turns into a depiction of Ryan Caulfield dropping his daughter off at her new school…_

 _…Rachel Amber dyeing Max's hair pink for the first time is morphed into an image of Max sitting on the Fremont Troll with a couple friends…_

 _…Max kissing Chloe, having just moved into Blackwell Academy, becomes a shot of_ _Max arranging her photo memorial wall…_

Max feels like her brain is on fire, and her unseen hands try to grasp whatever may be causing the intense pain. For a few seconds she is two people, each person _a_ Max Caulfield. Two sets of memories hit her with image after image and voices fight to drown out each other before her actual memories assert themselves. Max tries to think but only inflicts more pain onto herself before a bright light from somewhere ahead blinds her and she lifts up her hands to block out the blinding pain.

"Max…?" a voice asks, a man's voice, "Max, are you okay?"

"Whoa!" Max says in alarm, her head snapping up from the table in Mr. Jefferson's class. Looking around in confusion, Max's confusion only increases exponentially as her last memory was of a pleasant dream where her parents were still alive.

"All those selfies must be pretty tiring work, huh?" Max heard Victoria Chase ask with an arrogant smirk, Taylor Christensen giggling at the snarky comment.

"W-What…?" Max asked, looking down at the Polaroid sitting next to what she recognized as her old camera.

Picking up the newly-developed photo, Max squinted as her confusion only increased. While she knew that the photo was of herself, Max couldn't understand why she looked so different. Her piercings and pink hair gone, Max's original brunette locks framed her face. Examining the clothes she was wearing as Jefferson redirected the class's attention back to the discussion on the Daguerreian Process, Max cringed at the pink t-shirt. _Why I am cutesy? What the fuck is happening?_ Feeling something hot begin to trickle down her nose, Max tasted blood as the first drop slid down her lips. Grabbing a Kleenex she found in her pocket, Max wadded the tissue up against her bleeding nose and raised her hand.

"M-Mr. Jefferson?" Max asked, interrupting the discussion, "May I go to the restroom? My nose is bleeding."

Getting a curt nod from Jefferson in reply, Max got up and braced herself against the table for a moment when the lightheadedness from earlier returned. Taking a deep breath, Max steadied herself to the humor of Victoria and Taylor as she passed them on her way out the classroom. _I need to breathe, and I need to think._ Max couldn't wrap her head around what was going on and figured a moment of escape to clear her mind would do her good. Heading in the direction of the girls' restroom, Max dabbed at her still-bleeding nose while she tried to process things.

 **Author's Note –**

 **In case you might be confused, Max is now in the game's original timeline. I gave a bit of leeway in her not only jumping into a new timeline but ahead a day, so if you could give me that one and not argue I'd appreciate it.**

 **Getting back into my stories is more difficult than I'd thought it would be. Sure, I belted this out in my usual time but it still feels strange to me. Don't expect the daily updates from me, especially with my grad school classes starting up, but I will do my best to put out weekly content.**

 **Thanks to those of you who have been nothing but encouraging as I deal with my personal issues – your messages and heartfelt concern helped me through a sizeable chunk of my self-doubt.**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you for Chapter 9. It won't be the next thing I put up, as I have to plot out where I'm going with this storyline, but it is on a short list.**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**


	9. Chapter 9

**All Babes Are Wolves**

 **Song by Spinnerette**

Sitting behind the janitor's cart in the girls' restroom of Blackwell Academy, Max Caulfield read message after message from her parents and bit at her lip to keep herself from crying. _I saved them. Oh my fucking Dog, I saved them! They're alive, Mom and Dad are alive!_ Pressing the smartphone to her chest with a relieved smile, Max scanned through the other message boxes and felt her enthusiasm deflate a little at the lack of anything from either Rachel or Chloe. Scowling at her girlfriend and foster sister being absent from her text messages, Max slipped in her earbuds and opened up the MP3 app only to wince at the dreamy-sounding indie pop.

"Max, what the fuck are you into…?" Max asked herself, cringing as she scanned through the music folders on what was apparently her phone, "No… _no_ …ugh, so much hipster music…ah." Tapping on a folder marked "Punk", Max smirked at the innocence of her new self and let the thrashing instrumentals drown out the world around her. Closing her eyes with the smile from before returning, Max hugged her knees to her chest with one arm while typing in Chloe's number with the other. _Will she even have the same number? If I'm all fluffy and shit here, that means there were further consequences to saving my folks. Do or do not, Max._

 **Max: Yo Chloe!**

 **Chloe: ...Who dis?**

 _Yes!_ The bridge of Max's nose scrunched up in delight as her smile widened. _If she doesn't have my number either, that means we haven't reconnected yet. Release the Kraken-Max!_

 **Max: 5 years and you still have the same damn phone number? Hella lame.**

 **Chloe: 5 years…?**

 **Chloe: Wait. Holy goddamn fuck, MAX?!**

 **Max: In the flesh! Or, in this case, in ur phone! LOL**

 **Chloe: WTF dude it's been FIVE YEARS. I know you've been in Black-Hell for a month and you JUST NOW ring me up?!**

 **Chloe: I got bidness right now, Max. Uh, can we talk later? This shit is important and I need to process.**

 **Max: Sure, I guess. I just thought you might be happy to hear from me. Guess not so much...**

 **Chloe: Later**

Max frowned as Chloe signed off from the messenger app, disappointed but not entirely surprised at the other girl's reaction. _Fucking buzzkill, but what'd you expect, Max? This isn't the Chloe you've been with for months. Still, Chloe was so excited to see me at the fight when_ we _reconnected. What the hell else is different here…_ Sighing, Max leaned her head into the restroom wall and closed her eyes to let Spinnerette's "All Babes Are Wolves" carry her thoughts away. Max figured she hadn't spaced out for too long because the track had only just looped back to the song's beginning when she heard a muffled _bang_ come from near the restroom's row of sinks. _What the fuck was that?_ Max thought as she got to her feet and rounded the stall corner before breaking into a short run.

Nathan Prescott was on his knees next to a gutshot Chloe Price, a small pool of blood seeping out of the blue-haired girl's shirt. Her earbuds still in place, Max yanked them away as she kicked a near-catatonic Nathan to one side so she could take his place beside Chloe. _Oh God. Nonono, Chloe. No, I just got here. You can't die on me, Che…_ Carefully lifting the girl's shoulders up, Max brought the other girl's head into her lap and rubbed at a pale cheek as Chloe's eyes fluttered open weakly. Her expression confused with eyes glazing over, it seemed to Max like Chloe was having to force her gaze upward to look at the brunette. _Can she even see me? Her eyes look so hollow, so distant_ , Max thought bitterly as she leaned down to kiss the small pools of tears forming in the corners of Chloe's eyes.

"C-Chloe," Max choked out, her voice an octave higher from the anxiety flooding her thoughts, "Chloe, what the fuck is this? Why did Nathan… Why did he shoot you? Chloe?!"

"Hey," Chloe smiled weakly before wincing in pain, a slight trickle of blood leaking from her mouth as she coughed up pink spittle, "I-I totally just talked to you, right? You're here, Max. S-Sorry... Sorry for being...a complete shit...oh man, this hurts a hella lot more than you see in the movies..."

"I am _right here_ , Chloe," Max's voice was breaking as she clutched at one of Chloe's hands tightly, "I am so fucking here and I will not leave you again. But you can't leave me, either…"

The door to the girls' restroom swung open and David Madsen came running in with Principal Wells behind, both men in shock as they took in the sight of Chloe dying and Nathan Prescott curled into a ball with the weapon that'd been fired still in his hand. Max felt someone try to pull her away and she screamed and kicked her legs out, thrashing in the strong grip as she watched Principal Wells kneel down over a barely-conscious Chloe. _No. No, she can't die. I… I'll save her, just like I saved my parents!_ Having been set against a stall door, Max remained seated on the floor as she dragged her arm up and outstretched her hand. _I'll save you, Chloe! I fucking swear I will_!

Time continued on its usual trajectory for what felt to Max like too long. Afraid of pushing herself after changing history, that fear was overridden by Max's utter dread of a life without Chloe Price. Flexing the muscles in her hand, Max grit her teeth and felt time seem to give under the weight of her demanding presence. _You will go back! You will go back, and_ nothing _will stop you from saving her!_ Max watched time hesitantly begin to reverse, watched an echo of herself moving back to being alongside Chloe as David Madsen and Principal Wells walked backwards through the door and out into the hallway. Nathan seemingly leapt to his feet and a the crimson bloom on Chloe's chest shrunk and disappeared when a faint gleam of something metal shot out of her body and into Prescott's gun. Going back further, Max smelled the coppery tang of blood but ignored it. The only thing that mattered to her right now was saving Chloe.

Max stopped rewinding after a few try, electing to wait for both Nathan and Chloe to stop looking around for other people in the restroom. The first attempt had been a horrific failure, Max and Nathan fighting over the gun only for it to go off and shoot Chloe. Screaming for a few seconds, Max had been able to come around on her own and rewound; rather than take the gun, Max decided to take a more aggressive approach. Sliding the hammer into her pocket, Max came at Nathan in a dead sprint in as Chloe entered the restroom. Seeing the look of shock on Chloe's face, Max had otherwise ignored her friend and slammed Nathan's head into one of the restroom mirrors. Max had thought about hitting the fire alarm as she stood over a bleeding Nathan, Chloe's fearful look as she leaned against the door only made another rewind even more obvious. _If David sees me come out of here with the alarm having been set off, or if he sees Chloe, either one of us will be royally fucked. I don't need attention drawn to me; I need the opposite. No attention, avoid the whole situation altogether. Once an asshole, always an asshole. No, I need to try and go back further._ Wiping the trickle of nosebleed onto one of her hoodie's sleeves, Max pulled time back further and felt the area around her shift as she was pulled along back into Jefferson's classroom. Watching her past echo walk backwards into her chair, Max let go of time once more. Back at her desk, Max looked up to see Jefferson look at her concernedly.

"Um, Max? Max, your nose?" Jefferson asked, gesturing at his face. Max wiped the blood away with her sleeve and gave Victoria the middle finger when she saw the blonde give her a disgusted look. _Fuck you too, Bitchtoria. Just saving the goddamn day, here. Don't mind me._ "Why don't you go clean yourself up, Max? Class is nearly over and I didn't have cleaning up blood in my schedule for today's lecture."

Nodding, Max gathered her things quickly and nearly ran out the door. The hallway being empty, Max stopped at a locker that had her name taped onto the door and discarded what textbooks were in her camera bag before pulling out her cellphone. _I think this could be the last shot, my head is so damn fuzzy right now._ Punching in Chloe's number once more, Max began to furiously type as she walked toward the school's main hallway.

 **Max: Chloe do NOT come into the school**

 **Chloe: Uh, who the fuck is this and how do you know where I'm heading?  
**

 **Max: It's Max. You can't come in here.**

 **Max: It isn't safe**

 **Chloe: Hi to you too, Max. Five years and I get a fucking panic attack? Typical Caulfield is typical**

 **Max: UGH WILL YOU FUCKING STOP YOUR GODDAMN SNARKY BULLSHIT AND LISTEN?!**

 **Chloe: Whoa**

 **Chloe: Max, are you being serious here?**

 **Max: Meet me in the courtyard. Right NOW.**

Stuffing her phone back into the camera bag slung along her shoulder, Max carefully hurriedly made her way outside. Lightheaded and fatigued from all the times she had used her powers, Max nearly fell down the steps before a pair of leather-clad arms caught her. Looking up from a tank-top clad chest, a skull emblazoned on white fabric, Max saw Chloe looking down at her with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Nice to see you, too," Max gasped, shaking her head in an attempt to fight off approaching unconsciousness, "C-Chloe, you _can't_ go in there."

"Whoa, Max. Simmer down. I've got my hands full, as you can clearly see and feel," Chloe flashed a crooked grin at the brunette but Max's pleading face caused the other girl to take pause. "Hey. Max? Dude, what's eating you up so much that you'd text me after all this time? Not that I don't mind _finally_ hearing from you, but-"

"Nathan _has a gun_ , Chloe," Max brought her arms up and pulled the collar of Chloe's jacket so their faces were inches apart. Max saw that Chloe wanted to say something out of alarm but the brunette cut her off with a wide-eyed glare, "Don't you fucking dare go in there anyway. I will break your goddamn knees if I have to keep you from getting killed!"

Max wasn't sure if she had gotten through to Chloe or not, her head felt like it was filling with water as her vision darkened for a moment. _Too much excitement, too much time travel. Nose bleeding again. Fuck._

"W-w-Wowsers…" Max stuttered, nearly falling to the ground only to be caught once again by Chloe. Breathing heavily, sweat running down her forehead with her skin becoming even paler, Max let Chloe lead her to the girls' dormitory, promising to explain herself.

"Well, if it isn't the selfie ho of Blackwell," Victoria spat in a venomous tone, Courtney and Taylor laughing as a half-conscious Max looked on while being kept on her feet by Chloe. "Nose bleeding in class, Max? That's what happens when you hang out with a crackhead like _this_ girl."

"Listen, you elite skanky bi-" Chloe started to snap back only to get cut off by Max as she spat some of the nosebleed on the ground before speaking up.

"Listen, you insecure fuck," Max's voice sounded hollow, but the angry look in her eye made the three girls sitting before her and Chloe flinch. "I'm tired, I'm bleeding, and I'm _not putting up with your shit._ Do you want me to bleed all over your fucking cashmere, Vicky, or do you want me to make you fucking bleed on it?"

Victoria opened her mouth to speak, but a nudge from a worried Taylor silenced the pixie-haired blonde before she could reply. Rolling her eyes at her friends as she gestured to the sight of Max hanging on to Chloe, Victoria led her posse away from the stoop. The laborious nature of her breathing lessening, Max relinquished herself from Chloe's grip and wearily leaned against the dormitory's brick wall as she surveilled the courtyard. _Everything_ looks _the same, I guess. Benches where they were, trees and all that. I guess that's normal, though. I mean, me going back and changing things isn't going to alter stuff that had already occurred beforehand. At least, that's what I hope._ Shaking her head at the bluenette's hesitant offer for further assistance, Max opened the door and dragged herself up the stairs with Chloe right behind.

The hallway was deserted to Max's relief and she peeled off the bloodied hoodie before she was even through the doorway of her dorm room. _Oh God, it's so quirky. I'm so quirky here. All I need is a goddamn acoustic-, yep, I've got one of them. Kinda pretentious, Caulfield._ Letting out a groan as she watched Chloe flop onto the neatly-made bed, Max pulled the pink tank-top she'd found herself in off and began to search through the closet and drawers for something more her taste. The most appealing thing she could find was a plain black tank-top; pulling the shirt over her head, Max's face turned red as she noticed Chloe watch her before quickly looking away. _Yes, Chloe. This is what other girls look like, boobs and everything. Do you think I'll just magically go "poof" and disappear?_ Smiling at the idea of vanishing like a ninja, Max grabbed a dark red hoodie and pulled it on over the tank top, zipping it up all the way as she carefully walked over and took a seat next to Chloe.

"…So…," Max started, running a finger under her nose to see that the nosebleed had stopped to her relief, "How about them bigfoots, huh? I bet this'll be the year they go to the World Series and score enough touchdowns to win the Stanley Cup."

"What?" Chloe asked, looking over at Max with a puzzled expression before she shook her head and gave Max a unenthusiastic smile. "Oh. Cute, Max. Nice to know you're still a smartass."

"It's what they pay me for, if I were to get paid," Max's chuckling at her own joke as she got a snorting laugh out of Chloe for her effort at breaking the ice. "Hey, um, I'm-"

"How the hell did you know I was at the school, Max? How did you know Nathan Prescott had a gun? Five years and the first thing you do is supposedly save my life. I'm hella gratefully, really, but you'll forgive me if I don't fucking hand you a goddamn key to the city. You totally bailed on me, Max. Epic failed, super bailed."

Some of Chloe's words sounded rehearsed to Max, but the brunette had expected it; she knew Chloe would be upset because she had already been down a similar path with another bluenette over the same thing. _She seems meaner, I guess, like all the anger she's carried was just held in-place instead of vented like the other Chloe. Did you have an outlet here for your hurt, Chloe, for your pain? Or did you just get totally fucked up?_ Max opened her mouth to speak and closed it shut as she remembered with a faint smirk that her parents were alive and well in this timeline. Seeing that Chloe was eyeing her, Max felt herself get irritated at how this version of her childhood friend and _not_ girlfriend was treating her. _You're not the only one in this room who is fucking lonely, asswipe…_

"...Why the hell are _you_ entitled to be mad?" Max asked, her voice raised just enough to take the other girl by surprise. "No offense, but you didn't write or call me either, Chloe. I was in Seattle when my best friend needed me down here, when she wasn't raging on me because _my parents moved us_. You can be mad at me for not keeping in touch, but what makes you think I didn't want to? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to hear _from you_? You do _not_ have a monopoly on being hurt about five years of jack-fucking-squat, Chloe Price."

Max turned and watched Chloe take in everything she had just said, her facial expression going from anger to guilt and back again before finally settling on a fatigued smirk. Despite her stern words, the last thing Max wanted was to hurt Chloe. Surprised at herself, Max held her breath in anticipation of whatever Chloe was going to say next. _Don't freak out, Max. She… She doesn't look_ as _mad as she had a moment ago. Maybe she gets that it isn't always about her. Chloe does have that problem…_

"Wow, Max," Chloe finally said in an exhaustive breath, "When the hell did you grow such a fucking backbone, dude? My little girl's gone hardcore." Chloe bumped her shoulder into Max's and messed up Max's chestnut hair with a hand. "D'awww, you're so cute when you're angry."

" _Ugh_ ," Max rolled her eyes and laughed as she bumped Chloe back, "And you're hella cute when you're apologetic and realize you're being an ass. Shame it doesn't happen more often, Che."

"Oh, the angst! It stings!" Chloe put a hand to her chest and fell back onto the bed, her sarcastic grin causing Max to reply by flipping her off, "Such foul sign language, missy! A cheery, cutesy outside with a hard and bitter center. Worst candy ever!"

"I will have you know I am fucking delicious, Chloe Price," Max said, both girls looking away as their faces reddened. _Easy there, Max. This Chloe isn't the same one you've been with for months. Also, who knows if she's even into… No, she's blushing. She's totally gay, or at least bi._ "Um, you got wheels, right-"

Max heard her phone go off and the brunette walked over to where she had deposited her blood-stained hoodie and camera bag on the futon across from her bed. Rummaging in the bag, rolling her eyes once more when she saw Chloe pretend to fall asleep, Max found the small device and pulled it out.

 **Warren: Max!**

 **Max: Uh, hey.**

 _This is the guy who fucking hit on me at the party! Ugh, bromone sense is tingling…_ , Max frowned as she resumed typing.

 **Max: What you need, Warren?**

 **Warren: U got my flash drive?**

 **Max: Flash drive…? Oh, uh, sure.**

"Chloe?" Max asked, looking up at the bluenette while moving over to the desk, "Chloe, you're not asleep so don't even try. Can you help me look for a flash drive? Evidently there's a boy here on campus who is in need of it?"

"Ooh, does your mom know you talk to boys?" Chloe teased, Max turning away to hide the faint look of pain on her face at the mention of her mother. _I haven't even gotten a chance to talk to her yet, or Dad. Need to do that, post-haste._ "Chloe is on the case."

Ignoring Warren's next few tweets, Max and Chloe went through her shelves, drawers, and the messy desk where her laptop and other electronics resided for the most part. Chloe had given Max a light rebuke at the selection of CDs the brunette had, and had been surprised when Max agreed. Chloe promised Max that she would burn her some mixes as well as give her style "some fucking common sense" to the smaller girl's delight. Kicking at her shelving unit, Max ran a hand through her hair before noticing a scrawled note left by her computer.

"Hey Girl…," Max read the note to herself as Chloe moved her inspection of Max's things from the closet to her small collection of movies. Pulling out her phone once more, Max opened the message app back up.

 **Max: Hey Warren. Dana has it. You need her number?**

 **Warren: Uh, no. No, I'm good.**

 **Warren: Was kinda hoping to maybe see you. You can check out my new wheels!**

 **Max: Sorry. Can't right now. Have company of the blue tree kind. TTYL.**

Switching her phone off, Max crossed her arms and watched an oblivious Chloe go through the rest of Max's shelves to examine the brunette's books and photo albums. _I thought I was snoopy. Damn, Chloe, how much do you need to know?_ Coughing a little, Max watched Chloe jump a bit before slowly looking up to see the crooked grin on Max's face. Smiling nervously, Chloe got to her feet and gestured to the DVDs.

"At least your movie taste is still good," Chloe said, tugging at her beanie, "We outta here, dude? I need to bake and my stash is back home."

"Sounds good," Max nodded and walked to the door. Her hand on the knob, Max turned and looked at Chloe from over her shoulder. "Can we stop at the supermarket first? I… I need some hair dye."

"Feeling daring, Caulfield? How 'bout some blue, for your dyeing pleasure?" Chloe winked and Max couldn't help but give the other girl a genuine smile. _Chloe Price in any timeline is always a good thing._

"Feeling… Pink."

"Oooooh…," Chloe said, giving Max a look of mock surprise.

"Ugh, you fucking jerk!" Max responded by playfully shoving the bluenette, "Must you always tease?"

"I give as good as I get, sista. Now c'mon, let's bounce!"

* * *

When she finished her browsing in the supermarket only seconds after having entered, Max walked into the women's restroom and waited for a few minutes. Examining the goodies in her camera bag, pink dye and a fifth of Jack Daniels, Max smiled at the usefulness of her powers when it came to the small things. Pulling her phone out after having taken a swallow of the hard liquor, the taste not sitting right with her, Max let out a breath forcefully as it dawned on her that this body did not likely have the tolerance she had previously. _Oh dude, I will get hammered so easily it'll be hilarious. I'll have to remember to hide Chloe's phone, though. No drunken Max-capades… well, maybe_ some _drunken escapades. No filming, though!_ Turning her attention back to the smartphone, Max opened up the call history and pressed on the number labeled "Mom". Max was afraid she had frozen time or rewound by accident as she waited, each beep taxing her more and more until the sound of someone picking up brought a stifled gasp from the brunette.

"…Hello?" Vanessa Caulfield asked from the other end and Max tried desperately to not cry out loud. _Oh… Oh my God…_

 _Mom… Mom, you're really there…_

"M-Mom…?" Max stuttered, chuckling with tears in her eyes when Vanessa Caulfield said her name. "Uh, hey."

"I didn't expect to hear from you so soon, Max," Vanessa said, her voice warm and clear. Max was extremely grateful for the phone's reception. "Figured now that my little girl had flown the coop she wouldn't be in that big a rush to hear from her mother of all people."

The gentleness and laughter in her mother's voice was almost too much and Max leaned her head against the bathroom wall as she sat on the toilet lid. _I… I don't know if I can handle this. She's here… well, she's in Seattle, but she's alive and the crash never happened. I want to go… I…_

"I-I want to go h-home," Max whispered into the phone, her voice shaky as she choked on the words. Max was not prone to letting her feelings get the better of her, but the sound of her mother's voice was so beautiful to the punkster that it was painful. She didn't want to put on a brave face all the time in this timeline like she did the other, and Max didn't need to constantly be flashing her battle scars and teeth whenever someone got too close. Here, in this timeline, Max could be herself _entirely_ , both the geek she'd been years ago and the punk she was now. "C-Could I maybe, if it's okay, come and visit you and Dad back in… in Seattle…?"

"You shouldn't have to ask me if that's okay, sweetie," Vanessa said and Max nodded as though her mother could see the gesture of affirmation. Laughing, Max sniffled and wiped at her eyes while talking to her mother.

Most of the conversation was back-tracking and probing for details on a new life Max found herself in; questions from her mother about how school was going resulted in awkward silences and half-truths. Max knew how school was in the other Blackwell, but in the one she was now attending she had no idea and could only guess. _I hope I still have a good GPA. That took a_ lot _of effort_. Ending the conversation with an "I love you", Max ended the call and looked down at her bag as it sat against the stall door; a pair of familiar boots stood on the other side and Max sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. _Was Chloe spying on me?_ Before Max could open her mouth to speak, the boots hurriedly disappeared and the sound of a door being slammed open echoed in the restroom. _Is she mad? Why would she… oh. Chloe must've heard me asking if I could go back to Seattle for a visit. Shit, I've got to remember that we've only just gotten back together!_ Smacking her forehead, Max hurriedly gathered her things and left the bathroom for the supermarket's exit.

"Chloe, wait!" Max called out at the truck, Chloe already starting the vehicle, "C'mon, Che. Give me a chance to… _Chloe Elizabeth Price,_ don't you dare fucking drive away from me!"

Max's anger at how this Chloe was treating her set both girls on edge as the brunette watched the truck's sole passenger bristle and glare with narrowed eyes. Watching Chloe angrily climb out of her truck, kicking the door open only to slam it shut, Max dropped her camera bag to the ground and pushed up her hoodie's sleeves. Popping her knuckles, Max saw Chloe use her long legs to great effect as the bluenette quickly crossed the distance between them and got in Max's face.

"Get out of my face, Chloe," Max uttered, her eyes matching Chloe's hostile appearance. "I said get out of my face!"

"What the fuck are you going to do, Max _ine_? I mean, since we're using our fucking full names and all," Chloe sneered at Max and the brunette wanted to wipe the look off of her childhood friend's face with a fist. "What do you even care? You've been with me for barely an hour after being here for a month and you want to _fucking_ bail. Fuck you, Max! Fuck y-", Chloe's rant was cut off by Max shoving the bluenette away hard.

"So because I am feeling a little homesick you're going to bitch at me like I'm the worst goddamn person ever?! Wowsers, Chloe, you are utterly fucked in the head," Max snapped back, bracing herself when Chloe clenched her fists, "Come on, Price. C'mon! I bet you've been wanting to take a swing at me since you saw me. I stopped you from getting shot, likely getting _murdered_ , and what do you do? You snap at me about how I never got in touch with you? Boo-fucking-hoo, Chloe! You didn't write me, either, or call! Am I pissed and hurt about it? You bet I am, but I'm also just h-happy to finally see you again. You want to hate me? Fine! I don't have to fucking take your goddamn hate like the pushover from when we were kids, though, so don't expect me to."

"…Max…," Chloe's hostile demeanor eased up and her fists unclenched some, but Max was too angry to notice. Grabbing her camera bag off the parking lot blacktop, Max stormed off past Chloe and toward the sidewalk going down Main Street, "Max, wait…! Max, I'm sorry-"

"Go to hell, Chloe!" Max shouted back, already at the sidewalk as she flipped the bluenette off without looking behind her to see Chloe's response. _Fuck you and your fucking bullshit attitude, Chloe Price! I just wanted to be with you,_ again _, and all you can do is be shitty. If this is how you are here then do_ not _sign me the fuck up!_

Max was a couple blocks away when she spotted her reflection in a storefront window and screamed. _Who the fuck are you?!_ Max thought at the reflection. _I'm not this… this fucking twee hipster!_ Punching the window, Max ran off when someone inside shot a look at her and made for the store's front door. Ducking into an alleyway, Max pulled out the handle of liquor she had lifted from the grocery store and took a mouthful of the burning whiskey into her system. _If it only takes me a mouthful or two, I will gladly get turnt right now._ Wiping at her mouth, Max stowed the bottle back in her camera bag and headed further down the alley. Coming out the other side, Max spotted a Goodwill store and ran across the street towards the building. Her eyes darted back and forth as she browsed through the racks of clothing that piqued her interest, pulling out a pair of old jeans, a black tank-top with the Paramore logo on it, and a sleeveless red leather jacket. Snagging a pair of old boots that looked a size too big, Max practically threw the credit card she found in her wallet at the clerk and paused before heading towards the dressing room.

"Got any scissors?" Max asked, the clerk responding with an old-looking pair, "Thanks. Bring 'em back, I swear."

Coming out of the dressing room in her new attire, Max handed the scissors back to the clerk and dumped her previous ensemble in the drop-off box next to the front door. Zipping up the jacket, Max pulled at the fabric hood sewed into the collar and pulled it over her head. Jamming her hands into the sleeveless jacket's pockets, Max walked aimlessly down the sidewalk until she came to Two Whales diner. Walking a little further to ensure Chloe's truck wasn't in the parking lot, Max sighed a little in relief before briskly heading back to the diner's entrance. Keeping her hood on, Max ignored the other customers and took a seat next to the display of various cakes and pies. Her stomach growled at the sight and Max fished a $10 out of her wallet before Joyce Price walked up to her from behind the counter.

"What can I getcha?" the southern drawl of Chloe's mother warm and friendly, Max winced at the recent memory of getting into it with Joyce's daughter, "Uh, darlin'? You okay, kid-"

"H-Hey, Joyce," Max said, pulling down the jacket's hood to flash Joyce an embarrassed grin. "Um…"

"Max Caulfield!" Joyce's surprise only made the brunette more embarrassed. Max felt her face become increasingly warm under the cheerful look Joyce was giving her. _She's always so damn nice. Oh, fuck. I was an ass to Chloe, such a complete suckfest. She was apologizing, Max and-_ "What can I get for one of my star customers, even if she's a little late between her last order and this one? Oh, you look so grown up. Of course, it _has_ been five years so it's only natural you would."

"You haven't changed a bit," Max interjected, thankful for the opportunity to not just be the bearer of Joyce's gushing.

"Hmm? You mean still workin' here at Two Whales?"

"No, I mean you're still pretty."

"Nice save, kiddo," Max grinned, her bashfulness dissipating as Joyce's presence relaxed her a bit further. "What'll it be?"

"If you still serve breakfast all day I could totally go for a Belgian waffle," Max's request sounded more like a question, but Joyce simply nodded and poured the girl a cup of coffee before leaving to get the order underway.

Max sipped at the hot beverage and added a couple packets of sugar and a creamer as she half-turned on her stool to look at the diner in earnest. Not hurriedly taking a seat anymore or hiding from _everyone_ , Max leaned against the counter as she sipped and watched. The diner was sparsely occupied, the other customers scattered among the booths and stools at random. The Sun came through the open blinds in small beams of golden light. The jukebox crooning some awful country music in the background, the idle chatter of other people seemed to make the entire restaurant hum pleasantly and Max felt the grin on her face stretch a little in appreciation. Two Whales was one of the few places in town to eat but it was her favorite restaurant _period,_ the fondness going back to all the happy memories Max had from years ago. Hearing the growling of her stomach, Max smirked and finished her coffee as she saw Joyce approaching. Spinning herself back around on the stool, Max smiled appreciatively when the whipped cream and fruit-laden waffle was placed in front of her along a set of utensils.

"Enjoy, Max," Joyce said. Max's attention was focused on the food, however, so the brunette didn't catch the pained look on Joyce's face before she walked back to refill another customer's coffee. Max was halfway through her waffle when Joyce came back and Max caught the apprehensive look on the face of Chloe's mother.

"Uh, you okay?" Max asked, her eyebrow raised out of curiosity. Max hadn't seen Joyce rattled before, and the way she was looking at Max made the brunette nervous. "Joyce?"

"…Chloe called me, asking if you were here," Joyce said and the pained look on her face intensified when Max's shoulders slumped in response. Max pushed the half-eaten food away and grabbed her bag, slapping the $10 onto the counter. "Max, just talk to her. I haven't heard Chloe this broken up in months. What with Rachel…and now you and her goin' at-"

"Rachel?" Max's head snapped up, the intense look in her eyes taking Joyce by surprise.

"Rachel Amber. She was, _is_ , the closest friend Chloe's had since you left. Oh, that poor girl. She's been missin' for six months or so."

Max nearly fell off the stool, a wave of lightheadedness accompanying this startling revelation. _Rachel lived here, in Arcadia Bay? She was friends with Chloe? Is this because I messed with time, changed things? What else did I change…?_ Max was so caught up in her stupefaction that she didn't notice Chloe enter the diner until she caught a glimpse of blue hair from the corner of her eye. Not waiting to hear Chloe speak, Max lifted up her arm and strained as time rewound around her. Going back a few minutes, Max left the diner with Joyce on the phone.

"What the fuck have I done?" Max asked herself, hood back on as she walked down the sidewalk once more, eyes wide and staring at the sidewalk in front of her as she numbly made her way through Arcadia Bay. Ideas and images were coming to her disjointed and out of sync with her train of thought, the news of Rachel not only having been in Arcadia Bay but being missing for months hitting a nerve. _Did I cause this? Did my altering the past set things in motion for Rachel to be missing? Oh Dog, w-what if she's… what if she's dead…?_ Wiping the few tears beginning to form in her eyes away, Max didn't notice the truck that had been slowly pacing her on the street until it swerved into an adjacent alley and cut Max off. Looking up in alarm, Max just watched Chloe get out of the truck and walk over to her.

"C-Chloe, please. I don't want to fight. I j-just-", Max started to say, her voice frail and somber, when the sensation of being pulled into an embrace brought the punkster to her senses.

"Dude, I am _so_ sorry," Chloe whispered, her face pressed against Max's as she held onto the small brunette in a tight hug, "I totally screwed up and overreacted, Max. I… I just get so hella scared. It's like I'm not good enough for people to stick around. Is there something wrong with me, Max? I-Is… Is that why everyone I love leaves me, because I'm damaged goods?

Max found her arms wrapping themselves around Chloe as the blue-haired girl gently sobbed into the red leather of her jacket. Lifting her right arm to run her hand through Chloe's blue locks, Max leaned her head further against Chloe's and rocked herself from side to side as they stood together with their bodies intertwined.

"Chloe, I'm sorry," Max cooed, her voice cracking from the onslaught of guilt she felt at having blown up at the girl she was holding onto, and the guilt she felt over this timeline's Rachel disappearing, "I know I left you in the middle of such a fucked-up situation. I didn't want to, I swear, and I'd do anything to set things right between us. I-I missed you so fucking much, Che."

Max felt Chloe's hands clutch at her leather jacket and Max pressed the bluenette closer to her for a few seconds longer before they both separated themselves. Looking around to see a few people staring at their public display, Max looked down at her feet out of embarrassment as Chloe took off her beanie and scratched at her blue hair. When the girls would look towards each other their eyes would meet only to dart away in another direction; Max didn't know what to say and couldn't get a read on this timeline's Chloe. She thought about rewinding, but knew it would be wrong to deprive Chloe _and_ herself of the moment they'd just had.

"I heard. About Rachel, I mean," Max forced the words out. She wanted to scream, wanted to grab Chloe by the collar and demand to know where her sister was. _This Rachel isn't my sister, though_ , Max thought as she watched Chloe flinch at the missing girl's name. "I'm sorry to hear your f-friend is missing, Chloe."

"…Can we talk 'bout this someplace else, dude?" Chloe asked, crossing her arms and both girls' defenses were back up. "Wanna go chill at the lighthouse?"

"Ehhhh, no thanks," Max said, remembering Frank Bowers and the beating the other Chloe had given him, "How about…um… How about the tree-fort...?"

"You serious?"

"Oh, yeah. Never mind. Forgot that it's probably a wreck by now-"

"No. No, it's still there," Chloe said, more to herself than Max, and the brunette found herself looking at the bluenette with an amused smirk. "I kept it as a place to chill by myself, Max. Don't… Don't look at me like that, _nerd_."

"Look at you like what, _dork_?" Max asked, an impish grin on her face as she poked Chloe in the shoulder with a finger. _You kept our tree-fort intact all these years, Che? Awww…_

"Ugh. You're such an asswipe, Max. Fucking swear-"

"I am _not_ an asswipe!" Max playfully swooned before busting up laughing as she climbed into the passenger side of Chloe's truck, the bluenette walking around to the driver's side door. "Didn't you see me in school? I'm all cute and shy. I'm on the side of the angels."

"I saw the bottle of hooch sticking out of your bag, Max. You might have _looked_ like a walking cliché, but I know you're really a fucking delinquent. After all, I know one when I be one," Chloe teased, flashing a crooked grin to Max as she pulled out of the alleyway and back onto the street. "Tree-fort it is."

* * *

As they pulled into the dirt road branching out from the highway, Max heard the phone in her bag go off. Pulling the device out, Max flashed Chloe a faint smile and Chloe nodded slightly in response. _This peace between us feels so fragile, like I can't fucking move more than half a step or we might both fall to pieces,_ Max thought as she opened the message app.

 **Kate: Hey Max. Are you feeling better? I haven't seen you in the dorm and I just wanted to make sure you're doing okay.**

 **Max: That is too sweet, Kate.**

 **Max: I'm better. Hanging out with a blue-haired street urchin.**

 **Kate: Oh, you're working at the homeless shelter?**

 **Max: …It was a joke. She's a friend I grew up with here.**

 **Kate: Oh.**

 **Max: Kate, is there something wrong?**

 **Kate: …Max, have you seen the video that has been floating around school?**

 **Max: What video?**

 **Kate: …Forget it. I'll see you tonight, or tomorrow. Get some rest.**

 **Max: ? Kate, what video?**

 **Max: Kate…?**

Frowning, Max looked at the screen and waited a little before putting the phone back in her camera bag with a sigh. Thinking about what Kate could possibly mean by a video, Max held her left arm with her right hand as she bit her lip. _So much to catch up on here. At least I'm still friends with Kate. So many people no longer on my contacts list, though. Evidently I'm hella shy in this timeline. Woo._

"Everything okay there, Maximus?" Chloe asked, seeing the look of worry on Max's face. "Max? Earth to Max, come in Max…"

"Hmm?" Max looked up, blinking her eyes a few times as she was pulled out of her thoughts, "Sorry. Weird, ominous texts are weird and ominous. I think a friend from class is keeping something from me."

"What? Sher-Max doesn't already know everything about everyone at Black-Hell? Get the fuck out."

"Har har, Che," Max snickered before her facial expression darkened. "I'm serious, though. Something's going on and she skirted around whatever it was. Hella fishy sounding…"

When Chloe didn't press or tease any further, Max pressed her knees to her chest and looked out her window as the bluenette drove them further into the woods. Max wanted to just have a bit of peace and quiet, some time to reflect on where she had woken up only hours ago and what it may have cost. _I traveled back in time. Wowsers, that sounds so fucking unreal. I wouldn't even believe me if it weren't for the fact I_ am _me. Or, at least…_ , Max ran a hand through her chestnut hair, looking up to see the ends of brunette locks hanging just above her eyebrows, _I'm me, yet not me. This is the life of a Max Caulfield who never lost her parents, never went through the hell of a string of shitty foster homes and dive apartments. I still have my memories, though, the ones from before I… before I changed the course of history. Who the fuck paid for it, though? What is the cost of messing with time like this?_ Last time Max had seen the consequences of her actions, snow had fallen when it was still warm out. The nosebleeds she could handle, and even the passing out on occasion wasn't necessarily dangerous so long as she was somewhere safe beforehand; what troubled Max was that those came about from smaller rewinds of time whereas she had just altered time in a much bigger way.

"And we're here," Chloe said, putting the truck in park and switching it off. Climbing out of her driver's side door, Chloe looked over and saw Max gazing out her window in thought. Shrugging, Chloe closed her door and walked over to Max's before slapping at the window to catch Max's attention.

"F-Fuck!" Max recoiled back, lying down on the truck's bench seat before letting out a disgusted groan as Chloe laughed outside. "Jesus Christ, Chloe! You trying to fucking kill me, you asshole?"

"Sorry," Chloe said apologetically as she opened Max's door. _That look on your face says otherwise, brat._ "It was just too good to pass up, Maximillian. You were spaced out and weren't responding to anything; it was utterly-"

"Priceless?" Max cut in, waggling her eyebrows and smiled in victory as Chloe huffed and rolled her eyes, "Aww, did I steal your thunder? Tough. It's mine now."

Chloe offered a hand up and Max took it, the bluenette pulling her to into a sitting position before helping Max out of the truck. Getting her camera bag from behind the seat, Max closed the truck door and followed Chloe into the woods. There was a sereneness to the area that Max had missed in her years away; despite the warm air and clear sky, a faint mist seemed to mingle among the trees. Their booted feet crunching on dry fir needles and leaves, Max noticed that Chloe was nearly silent as well, the exception of her tall friend being the sound of feet hitting the ground as she walked.

Taking one of the bluenette's hands, Max wrapped her pinky finger around Chloe's. Scrunching up her nose with a warm smile, Max saw a smirk form on Chloe's face that quickly turned into a smile matching the her own. _This is so nice, being here in the peace and quiet with you, Che. You're so iffy, so unsure. The other Chloe was a lot chiller than you, but you never had the outlet she did. You never looked for a way out of your pain; instead, you just looked for a way to dull it._ Feeling Chloe bump their shoulders together, Max curled her pinky finger around the tall punk's a little more tightly in response. Looking ahead, Max saw the vague shape of a structure hidden behind a group of branches and leaves. Letting out a surprised giggle, Max pulled Chloe along by the pinky finger until they were standing at the rope ladder of their getaway.

"You added on," Max said, admiring the newish walls and floorboards. Peering into the open hatch, Max saw something sticking out a bit and her eyes widened, "That's a mattress. Chloe, do you sleep here?"

"Yeah, maybe," Chloe's defensive tone elicited a reproachful look from Max, and the bluenette rolled her eyes, "Dude, my home life sucks, a'ight? We can't all live in amazeballs Seattle and sip on hipster coffee drinks. My stepdad is an ass, Joyce is busy trying to make us all look like a 1950s TV sitcom, and I just get hella tired of it. So yeah, I fucking sleep here. That a problem?"

"…It is if there's only room for one," Max added in reply, opening her camera bag to show off the bottle of Jack, "Housewarming gift?"

"A little punk after my own damn heart. I knew there was a reason I let you verbally wail on me," Chloe winked at a smirking Max and closed the camera bag's flap before ascending the rope ladder. With Max following close behind, Chloe faked losing her footing a couple times to Max's initial horror.

" _Chloe_!"

"Chill, dude," Chloe said, hoisting herself into the structure. Sticking her head out, the bluenette winked at a disgruntled Max and stuck her hand out. Taking Chloe's hand, Max mumbled a quick "Thanks, jerk" and became suddenly oblivious to her friend's delighted expression.

A couple portable camping lamps with green and blue tinted bulbs cast an ephemeral light in the cramped room. Posters of rock groups and photos adorning the walls, Max ran her fingers gently across the wall and examined the decorations. _She's got better taste in music than I do here, at least. Totally know where to get some good tracks. The photos are a nice touch._ The photos were scattered among the posters on the walls and ceiling but it seemed to Max that they were divided up into three main subjects: Chloe by herself, Chloe with Rachel, and old pictures of a younger Max and Chloe.

" _This_ is your being mad at me?" Max asked, jerking a thumb toward a Polaroid of her and Chloe feeding each other birthday cake at the bluenette's 11th birthday party. "I'd hate to see you when you're mushy, Chloe."

"Eat me, hippie," Chloe teasingly snapped back, already lying on the full-size mattress. Patting the bare spot next to her, Chloe shot Max a mischievous grin as the brunette joined her. "Dude, I had to fucking tear down this thing and replace it piece by piece. Got all construction worker-ish to get this place to Chloe code. Mom and stepdouche got me a new mattress last year, so I renovated. How'd I do?"

"I'd live here," Max chimed in, sitting up long enough to grab the Jack from her bag. Twisting the cap off, Max took a pull from the bottle and passed it to Chloe. Watching Chloe nod in thanks before taking a noticeably smaller swallow, Max looked at her surroundings appreciatively.

Chloe had replaced everything; Max's only disappointment being the lack of a window. William Price and Ryan Caulfield had installed a couple single-pane windows in the original tree-fort to let natural light get inside. _This Chloe values her privacy, and secrecy._ Turning around to lie on her side, Max watched Chloe in silence. While this bluenette was not as physically strong as her counterpart, Max appreciated the toughness Chloe exuded while being mildly charmed whenever the bluenette's softer side revealed itself. _You kinda got lost while trying to pick yourself up, didn't you? You're still in there somewhere, Chloe._ Watching Chloe's chest rise and fall as the bluenette relaxed, Max felt a knot in her chest tense up and suddenly felt very lonely. It dawned on the small punkster that while Chloe was lying next to her, the kickboxer that was her girlfriend didn't exist in this timeline. _This Chloe is my friend, sure, but she's not_ my _Chloe. I don't even fucking know how she feels about me, friendship or otherwise. I'm going to have to get to know so many people all over again._

"So I know you drink, Caulfield. The excellent choice in liquor proves that," Chloe said, her voice coy and suspicious to Max until she noticed what was in on of Chloe's hands, "The question is… Do you bake, too?"

"Like an easy-bake oven, Che," Max joked, Chloe snorting at how terrible the brunette's joke was, "Got a spare, or are we sharing?"

"You're in luck. I have two," Chloe offered a very appreciative Max one joint while she lit the other. Puffing until the end glowed to her satisfaction, Chloe lit Max's dope with her own and laid back on the mattress. Pulling an old Army blanket over both of their legs, Chloe blew out a smoke ring and nodded in approval when Max copied her. "Max Caulfield, you filthy degenerate. Hey, you wanna see something fucking cool?"

Max's eyes widened as Chloe pulled a revolver from behind her back, her arm seeming to dig a bit as she laid on the mattress. Seeing Chloe light up with a giddy smile upon looking at the handgun, Max's brow furrowed and Chloe gave her a sidelong glance.

"Relax, sista. Not even loaded. See?" Chloe released the cylinder and showed Max the empty places where rounds normally went. Max's lack of enthusiasm got a look of frustration from Chloe in return. "Are you really going to tell me off about this?"

"Chloe, it's a _gun_. Not a toy and certainly not something to be fucking waving around," Max's chastising tone only made Chloe's sour look worsen as the bluenette shook her head in resignation and sat her prize down next to the mattress. "Don't look at me like that, Chloe. If you had that on you… Chloe, were you walking around this entire time with a goddamn gun? Wowsers, Chloe. You are fucking crazy. I am _so_ not high enough for this shit."

Max sat up and began to pull on her boots only to feel a pair of arms pull her back down by the waist. Trying to sit herself back up only made the arms pin her down once more. Looking at Chloe with a rightly pissed-off expression, Max saw the sadness in the other girl's eyes and softened up a bit. Not enough to satisfy Chloe, in likelihood, but more than Max felt the reckless bluenette deserved. Shaking her head just as Chloe had done only moments before, Max toked hard on the joint and was thankful that it seemed she had at least smoked _once_ in this timeline. _Oh man, if I had gagged up a lung from the first drag I would be so fucking disappoint right now. Especially with this deranged shit next to me. Honest to Dog, Chloe. What the hell are you thinking?_

"Don't be mad. I need it," Chloe said, her tone catching Max off-guard with how vulnerable it made the bluenette sound, "I've… I've gotten myself into some shit and need protection, Max. It's not loaded for a reason. Please… Please don't leave."

"Protection from what? From whatever you fucking up to heading into Blackwell?" Max looked over and glared at Chloe until her friend gave in.

"I was going to blackmail Nathan Prescott for some cash, okay? Dude… He…," Chloe grabbed the whiskey nestled between herself and Max. Taking a larger drink than she had before, Chloe's face reddened for a couple seconds before she continued. "I was trying to scam him out of some money at this shithole bar and we ended back at his room. He must've put something in my beer because the next thing I know he's leering over me with a camera and I feel like I've been shot up with something."

"Oh my God, Chloe," Max turned onto her side and wrapped her arms protectively around Chloe's waist, the other girl not saying anything at the touch, "C-Chloe…"

"Max, I'm alright. I'm here, okay?" Chloe ran her fingers through Max's chestnut hair and continued from where she'd left off. "He had some hot-shit camera in his hand and I kicked at whatever I could. I think I hit a lamp or something. Whatever it was, he freaked and I bailed at the opportunity. I was gonna call bullshit on him today and score some money to get the hell out of here when my Max in shining armor came to the preemptive rescue."

"Does this have anything to do with Rachel?" Max saw Chloe's eye twitch at mentioning the other girl but pressed the issue. "Do you know what happened to her, Chloe?"

"No, I don't. I've posted up flyers and asked around for six months and _nothing_. I know something's wrong, Max," Chloe took another drag of her pot and resumed running a hand through Max's hair as she spoke, "She wouldn't fucking leave me like this. She... She means a lot to me. I'm so fucking sick of this goddamn place, Max. This shit-pit has taken away from me everyone I ever loved – I'd like to drop a bomb on Arcadia Bay and turn it to fucking glass."

Max didn't say anything after Chloe's last statement; the truth was that in her original timeline, Max had grown to feel the same way. Between getting dogged by Frank repeatedly everywhere she and her Chloe had gone as well as Nathan Prescott trying to do… _whatever_ it was he was attempting, Max had come to despise her old hometown and the school nestled just outside of it. Tightening her hold on Chloe, Max pressed her face into the other girl's side and held it there for some time; Chloe said nothing so Max didn't relent on the blatant affection. _God, I am so sorry, Chloe. This… You shouldn't have been alone for something like that. Rachel's gone, you nearly get… Whatever is going on with Kate… Holy fuck, no._ Abruptly letting go of Chloe, Max sat up and reached into her camera bag. Pulling out her cellphone, Max typed "Kate Marsh" and "Vortex" into a search engine.

"Max, what are you-?" Chloe asked but Max hushed her and continued to search.

"If Nathan did what he did to you… Chloe, my friend from earlier who was acting suspicious during our chat?" Max asked, looking over her shoulder to see Chloe nod once.  
"I think she went to a Vortex Club party over the weekend. What if something happened… Oh, Kate. No…"

Max, a pained look on her face, passed her phone to Chloe and ran a hand aggressively through her chestnut hair as she heard the bluenette take in a sharp breath. The video showed a visibly intoxicated Kate Marsh stumbling around the Blackwell gym as she proceeded to make out with numerous boys and girls from the school before passing out on a couch.

"She's not l-like that, Chloe," Max choked out the words; it dawned on Max in a horrific instant that since she hadn't been at the party in this timeline, no one was around to stop Kate from getting drugged. _You, Chloe…Kate…Rachel…_ Max barely registered the blue-nailed hand placed on her shoulder before she was scrambling down the rope ladder. She needed open air, open space, open _anything_ ; Max was trying and failing to keep calm and stable as the repercussions of changing history continued to unfold before her. Pulling at her hair with both hands as she paced back and forth, Max didn't see Chloe climb down and didn't care when the bluenette tentatively reached out before pulling her arm away. It wasn't until she heard the other girl gasp that Max's head snapped around, the punkster giving Chloe an intense look.

" _What_?" Max asked harshly before seeing Chloe point upwards, eyes wide and anxious.

Max looked over her shoulder to see an eclipse unfold. _It's an eclipse, Chloe. That shit does happen, believe it or not._ Giving Chloe a look that clearly said _"So_?", Max saw that Chloe hadn't noticed her and walked over to the brunette. If Chloe's attention was fixated on the eclipse, something was up and Max wanted to know what.

"Chloe?"

"Max, I don't think that's normal. I mean, I don't think there is an eclipse scheduled for today," Chloe said, her mouth hanging open a bit after finishing the last sentence. Max checked on her phone and watched local and regional news pick up the freak occurrence that was localized specifically in Arcadia Bay. _How does an eclipse occur without anyone knowing? How does…_

Max Caulfield looked up and matched Chloe's worried expression with one of her own.

 _What the fuck have I done?_

 **Author's Note –**

 **Yoooo :)**

 **Chapter 9 is finished and I think the slower uploading of stories is helping. This chapter didn't feel rushed or forced to me; the words came easily and the stage is set for future chapters.**

 **Oh, I want to tease you so bad with what I have up my sleeve for Chapter 10 but I'm not going to. Needless to say, it alters the status quo of this story and sets up for one fucking whirlwind of a finale down the road. I don't know how much longer I'll go with this story – I even considered stopping with the last chapter and leave Punk Max with an open ending in the game timeline.**

 **You'll just have to wait and see, eheheh**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you later!**

 **Stay Hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**


	10. Chapter 10

**You Drive Me Wild**

 **Song by The Runaways**

 _"I love you, honey."_

 _The car started to fold in on itself from the front, the Caulfields' SUV pressing on Max's parents as she could only look on in silent horror. Her mouth opening wide, face red, Max tried to scream but nothing seemed to escape past her lips. Shaking in the backseat, body thrashing against the seatbelt that just_ wouldn't _give into her, Max shielded her eyes as the glass from what remained of the windshield broke in sharp pops._

This isn't happening, _Max thought to herself as she struggled once more against the restraint, grabbing the seatbelt with both hands and pulling it away from her as hard as she could._ Nononono, I… I can't watch this, I can't save them! _The car's destruction seemed to pause for a second and it began to reverse. Max's parents eased out of the crushed positions of their bodies as the dash and then entire front assembly of their car began to seemingly repair itself. It wasn't until her dad's eyes began to flutter that Max noticed something from the other side of the front windshield._

 _There was a storm coming; where the streets of Seattle should have been now a woodland hillside thrashed against rough winds and torrents of biting rain. The wind rushed into the SUV's interior and Max felt her seatbelt give suddenly. Her legs pulled out from under her, Max grasped at the headrest of her father's seat as the impossible storm pulled at her. Gritting her bared teeth, Max watched as the clothes her 13 year-old self had been wearing tore away to reveal the clothes she had typically worn in her original timeline. Those clothes came away as well, and Max found herself in the attire she'd woken up in from the timeline she was currently in. Her voice coming back to her, Max let out an enraged scream as she tried to pull herself back into the SUV's rear area only to lose her grip. Managing to grasp at the armrest of her father's seat, Max looked up and her jaw dropped as Ryan Caulfield leaned forward to meet her gaze._ How is he just…just leaning forward like everything is fine? _Max asked herself as Ryan smiled at her._

 _"Dad…?!" Max asked, raising her voice as she felt her hand slip toward the armrest's end, "D-Dad, please! P-Please help me!"_

 _"But you don't need my help, Max," Ryan's soft voice seemed to reverberate in Max's head, "You don't belong here anymore…"_

 _Max's fingertips clutched on for dear life only to slip from the storm pulling her in, a scream erupting from deep inside her as she collided with the glass and hurtled toward Arcadia Bay's lighthouse. The ground becoming ever closer, Max shielded her face with her arms and squeezed her eyes shut for the end._

Max sat up, panting and drenched in a cold sweat with her eyes wide and bloodshot from crying in her sleep. Feeling her heart pounding, Max shivered as the immediate emotional turmoil she'd felt in her nightmare slowly faded away; left with a cold dread and a desperate need for air, Max was about to slide out of her dorm room bed when she felt a pair of bare legs brush up against her from inside the covers.

 _Chloe_.

The remainder of the previous evening coming to her as her sleep-addled mind became increasingly alert, Max remembered vaguely that she and Chloe had tried to go to Chloe's house only to get into a shouting match with her stepfather. David Madsen had caught a whiff of liquor and pot on both girls and had threatened to expose Max's illegal activities to Blackwell's administration. When Max hadn't backed down and yelled back at him over things she shouldn't know in this timeline, his violent mood swings and surveillance of students, David had clenched his fist when Chloe had stepped in and slapped him hard. From there it had turned into a two-on-one screaming match that ended with Chloe kicking him out of her room so she could grab some clothes and her stash before heading to Blackwell with Max to spend the night, possibly longer.

"You sure about this? I _can_ crash in the fort, Maximus," Chloe had said, giving Max a perplexed sidelong glance. Max knew she was probably making little sense to this timeline's Chloe: having been reunited only hours ago and not months, Max's parents still alive while William remained deceased, and Max was acting in complete contrast to her previous appearance. Max knew she was different because she _was_ different. Whoever the Max that had come before was, wherever she was if there was another place she could go, _this_ Max was here and she was not going to play pretend for other people's benefit.

"Chloe, I swear that if you ask me that again I will take it back and-" Max's edgy tone received an equally edgy narrowing of Chloe's eyes and Max forced herself to calm down, "Look. If you want to stay with me, then stay. I'm not out for trouble, Chloe, but I'm not afraid to risk it for people I care about. …Especially you…" _You're not the Chloe I knew, but there is something about you that I can't shake, either. This is such a brain drain, I feel like my fucking head is going to explode from all this time travel bullshit!_

As if on cue, Max folded over in the passenger seat of Chloe's truck as a sudden burst of pain radiated from behind Max's eyes and through to the back of her head. Cringing, Max let out a sharp gasp of breath and clutched at the sides of her head in pain. _W-What…? Can't think straight, feels like my head is c-caving into itself-_

When Max had come to, she found herself being carried on Chloe's back up the stairs of her dorm. The girls in the hallway had whispered and a semi-conscious Max had seen concern on Dana's and Kate's faces from their respective doorways before Chloe slowly opened Max's door and closed it behind them. From there, Chloe had played the part of caregiver and had watched over and looked after Max for the rest of the night. Sitting up in bed now, Max vaguely remembers watching movies and getting pizza but she couldn't remember what she and Chloe had watched. Small passages of time were missing, the punkster blaming it on the migraine and blacking out. Pulling the covers off of herself, Max carefully crawled over the sleeping punk and walked to where she and Chloe had tossed their clothes before going to bed. Wearing an oversized tank-top that belonged to Chloe and the sleep shorts she'd found under the bed, Max grabbed a cigarette from the back pocket of Chloe's jeans and lit up with a battered Zippo lighter. Walking over to the window that wasn't blocked by her desk, Max lifted up the glass pane and sat on the window sill as she smoked.

"This is too fucking eerie," Max mumbled to herself between drags of nicotine, "I'm doing something I did in another time. I wonder… Is the timeline I came from still going? Is this some _Star Trek_ -level shit where there's, uh, multiple realities or whatever?" Shaking her head at how frustrating trying to think about everything she had done lately and how it had led to where she presently was, Max quietly finished the cigarette as the Sun began to rise. "I let Chloe sleep over too much, her wiry ass getting up hella early for her 'morning run'. Jesus fuck, Che, are you running at this very moment? Are you somewhere I can't see, running after a night of binging on Dog knows what…?"

Snuffing the stub against the building's brick exterior, snickering at her habit that'd come along with her from another time, Max quietly slid off of her perch on the sill and closed the window before looking down to see a plant with the name "Lisa" on the pot. _Huh_ , Max thought as she grabbed the water bottle off the nearby shelf. Taking a mouthful of water for herself, Max squatted down next to the plant and watered it. _You look hella thirsty. Drink up, buttercup._ Stretching as she stood back up, Max walked over to the desk and checked the email account and Facebook belonging to "Max Caulfield". _That's me, I guess. Wow. Damn near dead silent. I'm clearly the life of the fucking party,_ Max thought with a snort. _Wow, that's gonna change hella quick…_

"Max…?" a voice from the direction of her bed drew Max's attention and her heart nearly broke from how similar it was to another voice she knew and had come to care deeply for. Turning in her seat, Max hung an arm over the desk chair's backrest and looked at a disheveled, half-asleep Chloe peeking up at her from the pillow her face was buried in.

"Hey," Max said, giving Chloe a faint smile, "You don't have to get up, Chloe. It's redonkulously early and I was about to come back to bed."

"Heh," Chloe said, leaning her head up to give Max an impish smirk in reply, "You make it sound like we're dating or something. Fucking mushy nerd. …So? You comin' back or what?"

"Well," Max said, getting to her feet only to stop inches out of Chloe's reach, "You're kind of a brat in the morning, picking on your host…"

"I'm a 'brat'?"

"Be glad I chose to be kind. I've made grown men cry, Chloe Price," Max gave Chloe an exaggerated glare and leveled a pointing finger at the bluenette's face, "Bow."

When Chloe snickered in the pillow, eyeing Max with a mischievous gleam to her eyes, Max sighed and crawled back into bed. Nestling up to Chloe, chuckling a bit when Chloe had complained about Max being the big spoon when she was the "hella shawty" between the two of them, Max rested her chin on Chloe's shoulder and softly hushed the bluenette. _You're all badass and angst, but you're also still a complete dork in_ any _timeline. Fucking goofy-ass, loveable dork._ Feeling Chloe shiver, Max's breath caressing the bluenette's ear, Max leaned into Chloe a little more before lowering her head to press it against the other girl's back. _Not your Chloe, Max. This girl is not your Chloe and you_ can't _do shit like that to a Chloe you just met that is as hella messed up as she is. We'd both end up fucked in the head only more so than we already are…_

"Max?" Chloe's sleepy voice caught Max's attention and she snapped out of her headspace to see the bluenette watching from the corner of her eye, "Max, this… this is nice…"

"But…?" Max pulled back a bit when she saw the worried look on her friend's face. _Uh-oh_.

"…Why… Why couldn't you have-"

"Uh-uh, nope," Max said, sitting up after she pulled her arms away from Chloe, "Chloe, it is not even six in the damn morning. I'm in my bed _with_ you, curled up _with_ you, and you fucking bring that up now? Really? _Now_?"

"You were gone, Max!" Chloe's raised voice got her a harrowing glare from Max. _The fuck you thinking, Chloe, pulling this shit now?_ Max bit at her lower lip to keep it from sneering, not one to respond well to guilt trips. Especially when they had some truth to them. _How the fuck… The Max who pulled that on_ you _, Chloe, isn't even me! It's another Max, and I'm here now and why the fuck can't you just_ not _do this and kill what was could've been a good morning?!_

"I'm going to say this once, and only once," Max said, choosing her words with care as she got out of her bed and knelt alongside it so that her face was only a foot away from Chloe's, "Chloe, I am sorry. I am a shit friend and I bailed. You never called me, either, and while I know something of _why_ you didn't it does not make you any less guilty of the time we've been away from each other."

"Max, that-"

"No. You will let me finish, Chloe," Max gave Chloe a stern look and raised her hand to silence her friend as she began to pace, "You drop this on me again like you just did and that's _it_. Chloe, you're my friend and I care about you. I know you're going through some incredibly painful shit and I want to be here for you, but don't you _fucking dare_ try to intentionally make me feel bad. I'm only half to blame, Chloe, but I own up to my half."

Max changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank-top with the image of a butterfly emblazoned across it before grabbing a pair of old flip-flops that were sitting under the futon couch. Slipping them on, Max glanced over at a sulking Chloe and watched the bluenette turn around in bed so that she was facing the wall. _Maybe I went too far… Goddamnit, Chloe, why do you have to make this so fucking hard?_ Sighing, Max grabbed the camera bag on the couch and opened her door, stepping out into the hallway to get some space between herself and the girl lying back in her bed. Walking over to the hallway window adjacent to her door, Max watched the dawn light slowly inch its way across what was visible of the campus grounds. Seeing a couple bunnies hopping around as they seemed to be playing with a squirrel, Max opened the window and pulled out her Polaroid camera. _Smile for the camera, woodland creatures!_ Max thought as she took the shot, smiling to herself as she began to shake the developing photo a bit.

"What the hell was that about?" a voice asked from behind her and Max turned to see Victoria Chase watching her with arms crossed over her chest.

"…Not now, Victoria," Max said, the delight she had felt at capturing such an innocent moment dissipating under the shrewd glare of the self-appointed 'Queen of Blackwell', "I.. I just wanted to snap a really good shot, that's all."

Victoria, clad in red silk pajamas, looked Max in the eye before looking down to see the photo in the other girl's hand. Too fatigued from her rant at Chloe and unsympathetic to _anything_ Victoria might have to say, Max moved to walk around Victoria when a hand was suddenly on her shoulder.

"…Can I see it?" Victoria asked, her voice having lost all of its iciness in favor of a questioning whisper. _I don't know, Victoria. Can you?_ Max thought before pinching the bridge of her nose. She didn't have any interest or desire in fighting anyone if she could avoid it, at least not today; turning to face a surprisingly amicable Victoria, Max looked the photo over before handing it to Victoria. "This, huh, this is actually a good shot, Caulfield."

"Uh… Thanks, I guess?" Max replied, wary of Victoria's intention, "There something you want, Victoria?"

With that question, her wariness evident to Victoria, Max found her shoulder released with a scathing look from the other girl. Victoria returned to her room and closed the door behind her loudly; Max rolled her eyes and contemplated writing something on the other girl's room slate before she noticed the sound of crying. Thinking it was Chloe at first, Max walked to her door and stopped when she heard the crying but noticed that her room was silent. Turning around to look down the hall, a scowl on her face, Max wandered down the hall a bit until she saw the slate on Kate Marsh's door.

"'Will Bang 4…' Oh, give me a fucking break," mumbling under her breath, Max lifted up the tank-top she was wearing and used the fabric to wipe Kate's slate clean before decorating the board with the phrase "Judge not, lest ye be judged". Looking over at the door to Kate's room, the crying sound from before coming from inside, Max lifted her hand to knock and hesitated. _Are we friends here? I know she texted me yesterday, but she's… The Kate I knew was kind enough to do that with anybody. What if she doesn't want to talk, Max? What if you're just fucking bothering her like the snoop you are?_ "…Kate? Kate, are you okay?"

"Max…?" Max took a step back and watched the door open a crack. _It's so dark in there._ Kate peeked from behind the door, her usually well-kept bun a little worse for wear as she looked at Max with puffy, bloodshot eyes. "Sorry, Max. I don't really feel like-"

"I saw the video, Kate," Max said quietly and thought that Kate might start to cry again as the other girl's eyes looked down towards the floor, "Hey, I don't believe that is how you would act for a second, okay? You're not that kind of person, I know it." _I know_ my _Kate wouldn't do that, anyway. But you don't really look it, either. At least, that's my first impression…_

"…Th-Thanks, Max," Kate said, leaning out so that her entire face was showing. _God, she's a fucking wreck. Her cheeks are lined with tears._ "Um, do you want to come in?"

Max nodded and walked into Kate's room, each step cautious as Kate looked to Max like she might fall apart at a moment's notice. _It is hella dark. You going Goth, Kate?_ Scowling to herself, Max shook her head at her own insensitivity and took a seat on Kate's bed. Kate joining her, Max fidgeted with her hands as Kate just looked down at her feet. _What do I say to someone who was put online like that? The kissing, the drunken stumbling around, and the laughing from other people; Kate_ can't _be that kind of person. My Kate wanted to party, sure, but she had maybe a sip of wine. It was the drugged bottle of water that did her in, but I stopped it. I… I couldn't stop this, though…_

"Max, why won't anyone believe me?" Kate asked, looking up at Max with a pleading expression.

"I believe you, Kate," Max tried to sound reassuring but she felt more awkward than anything else. "I just told you I did. I'm here for you-"

"Then why weren't you there for me yesterday, when that bully David Madsen cornered me outside the dorm? Why couldn't I find you when I got back to the hall?"

"I ran into a friend from here, Kate, and we hadn't seen each other in years. She's been through a lot and I wanted to… I wanted to help her out if I could. I can't be everywhere at once, Kate. You're being unreasonable," Max retorted, her instinctive need to be on guard kicking in.

"'Unreasonable'?" Kate asked, sounding to Max as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing before looking to see the punkette's worried expression, "…Yeah. Yeah, I guess I kinda am."

"Kate, I _am_ your friend," Max put her hand on Kate's shoulder, giving her friend an affection squeeze that got a faint smile in reply. "Hey, how about you and I get some breakfast before classes start up? I saw the schedule. We have loads of time."

"I-I'd like that, Max," the smile Kate gave her would have made Max swoon if it weren't for the fact she was having mixed feelings about the blue-haired girl sleeping in her bed. "Um, knock on my door when you're ready? It is pretty early still, and I'd like to try and get a couple more hours of sleep if that's okay."

"Of course it is, and I'll see you soon," Max smiled, leaning over to kiss a blushing Kate on the cheek before getting up. Yawning a bit herself, Max heard Kate chuckle and shot her friend a humored scowl before heading back out into the hall.

Checking the window for any other good photo opportunities before returning to her room, Max sighed in mild disappointment and crossed the miniscule distance from the window to her dorm room. Opening the door and closing it quietly, Max carefully set her bag down only to roll her eyes when a fully-awake Chloe looked over her shoulder from where she was facing the wall in Max's bed. _Keep sulking if that's what you want, Chloe, but I want to go back to sleep for a bit._ Sliding into her bed, Max tried to slip under the covers only to have Chloe pull them all to herself. _Really? You're gonna sulk in_ my _bed and hog_ my _blankets after I let you stay in_ my _room? Wowsers, you are kind-of a bitch in the morning when you want to be, Chloe Price._

"You going to hand over some of my bedding?" Max asked Chloe, looking over to see Chloe ignore her as she was still turned toward the wall. "Chloe, are you going to-"

When Chloe turned around, the air caught in Max's throat and she felt a lump seem to form just above where she figured her heart was. Chloe had been crying, her red eyes puffy as she bit at her lip to keep it from quivering. _Shit_ , Max thought as she visibly softened, _Chloe, did you take what I said_ that _hard? Fuck, I completely suck._

"Chloe, I-"

"Why'd you have to say those things?" Chloe's weak and hoarse voice only left Max feeling worse as the bluenette stared at her with shimmering, watery blue eyes. "Y-You think I don't know how much I fuck things up, Max? How much of a screw-up I am?"

"Chloe, I didn't say that-"

"I _know_ , Max. But I am. I fucking pull people to me only to push them away," Chloe said before shuffling around so that she was lying on her back and staring at the ceiling, "D'you know I was seeing a counselor when I was at school here? A little before, too, but an honest-to-God therapist. 'Borderline Personality Disorder' is what she called it. I h-have a hard time, hella redonkulous hard, making friends and _keeping_ them. I'd treat Rachel like she was a goddess only to flake the next time we were supposed to hang. I… I'm afraid that everyone is leaving me because of _me_ , Max."

"I know, Chloe-," Motioning to try and hold the shaking bluenette, Max pulled her hand back when Chloe twitched and they locked eyes.

"You _don't_ , Max!" Chloe had worked herself up to the point of yelling and Max flinched at the volume of her friend's voice. "You don't, okay? No one does. Dad can't understand anything because he's fucking worm food. Mom tries to understand and she takes more shifts at the diner. Rachel tries and she's _gone_. You? You were never here for how bad it got, you were… Don't worry, _Max_ , I'm not fucking harping on you, but my darkest moments were absent my closest friend so you can imagine how I feel when I say my life has been dipped in shit for five years…"

Max laid there on the bed and watched as Chloe slowly turned to look at her, their faces only inches apart. Were this the Chloe she had come to know from before, Max would cross the divide with sweet kisses and whispered promises. This wreck of a girl wasn't that Chloe, however, and Max knew she needed to realize it. Unsure of what to do, Max settled on awkwardly scooting closer and just resting her head on Chloe's shoulder. _Is this okay? Are_ you _ever going to be okay, Chloe?_

 _Are_ we _ever going to be okay…?_

* * *

Waking up after managing to fall back asleep once Chloe had passed out, Max looked to her left and saw the space her friend had been holed up in was empty. Blankets wadded up, no sign of any message left behind, Chloe was just _gone_. Max knew she shouldn't be surprised but it didn't mean she wasn't disappointed. _She left. Of course she did, Max, didn't you fucking hear her? She's pretty much angry at the whole world, a wounded animal that mews one second and scratches the next._ Letting out a low, frustrated sounding moan, Max rolled out of bed and cringed at the sight of her reflection. _Hello, "zombie face"._ Running a hand through her messy hair, Max pursed her lips at the chestnut locks.

"Shouldn't change up too much, I guess," Max let out with a sigh, "'Hello Blandness, my old friend…'"

Stretching as she let out a silent yawn, Max scratched at her side and walked over to crack the window open. Fishing an e-cigarette she'd lifted along with the dye and whiskey from her supermarket run yesterday, Max took a single pull and inhaled the nicotine. Letting the vapor visibly spill out from between her parted lips, Max leaned against the sill and watched the students already go about their business when she spotted someone peeking around the corner. Their eyes locked and Max not only recognized the student but what surmised what was going on.

"Warren Graham, you fucking creeper!" Max yelled out from her window, slamming her window shut and dropping the blinds. Unaware of what was going on outside, Max didn't get to see Warren nervously scamper away with students calling after him. "Goddamn… Ugh, _why_ does this shit seem to happen to me so goddamn much?" Taking another drag from the e-cigarette before hiding it in the camera bag, Max grabbed what was now her hygiene kit and made for the shower room.

"Hi, Max," Kate greeted her, mouth frothing at the edges from toothpaste. Visibly more cheerful than from earlier, Kate smiled at Max and the brunette returned the look in kind.

"Your bunny didn't give you rabies, did she?" Max teased, snickering a little when Kate looked at mirror only to roll her eyes in Max's direction.

"I'll have you know Alice has had all her shots, thank you very much," Kate quipped back with a smile. "Maybe I'm a zombie, hiding my zombie ways so that I can… so that I can…"

"Relax, Kate. If you're a zombie I'm sure you are the vegan kind or whatever. No eating people for Zom-Kate."

"'Zom-Kate'?"

"Beats Kate-bie." Max shrugged and headed for a shower stall only to see from the corner of her eye that Kate was watching her. Turning to look over her shoulder, Max gave her friend a quizzical look. "Yeah?"

"Max, do you still have my copy of _The October Country_? I need it to make some notes," Kate asked, sounding a little shy to Max.

"Oh, I'll have to look. Um, thanks for reminding me," Max replied, thinking _More shit I have no clue about. It's a book, though, and my room is hella small. Bound to be somewhere._ "Hey, we on for Two Whales once we're both ready?"

"Sure," Kate said before returning to brushing her teeth only to pause, "Though we'll never get there if we don't both finish getting ready."

Max smirked and turned back around to head into the shower. Slipping out of the sweatpants and tank-top, pulling her underwear and bra off, Max stepped into the hot water and almost let out a sigh of relief as the near-scalding droplets seemed to not only rinse her off but cleanse her mind. Grabbing the body wash and shampoo, Max covered herself in suds as she began to sing under her breath.

"Bitches know me cuz they know that I can rock…Bitches know me cuz they know that I can _rhyme_ ," Max sang the lyrics of Mindless Self Indulgence's "Bitches" to herself, snorting as she thought of what the girls on her floor would say at the sight of their cutesy Max Caulfield singing what she was singing, " _Bitches_ know me cuz they know that I can _fuck_ …Bitches know me-"

"What's up, Kate?" Max heard a voice ask in a sarcastically sweet voice.

"School," Max heard Kate reply.

"That's it?" the voice continued, "That video of you clubbing didn't look like homework…"

"Victoria, that wasn't me," Kate replied, her voice starting to shake. _Victoria. Oh. Oh, fuck this._

"Hey!" Max yelled from her shower stall, "Why don't you go fuck yourself, Victoria! Leave Kate alone!"

"Mind your own bidness, twee bitch," Victoria snapped back only to flinch a little when Max nearly ripped the curtain of her shower stall off as the brunette got into her face, "Get the fuck away from me, before your cliché gets all over my fucking cashmere!"

"How about _you_ get the hell away from my friend," Max shot back, eyes narrowing as she backpedaled to stand between Kate and Victoria, Taylor moving to the door. _A fight, is it? You think you want to fight me?_ Her tank-top and sweatpants damp from being pulled on without Max having dried herself off, the disheveled and soaking wet brunette clenched her fists, "Why don't… Why don't you go fuck your selfie?"

"Really?" Victoria snorted, folding her arms across her chest, " _You're_ the selfie ho of Blackwell, though maybe you took more than some selfies when that blue-haired trash-"

"Oh my God, Victoria!" Taylor cried out a half-second too late.

Max swung her fist at Victoria calling Chloe "blue-haired trash" and connected with the other girl's nose, Max watching as though she were disconnected from her own body as a spurt of blood shot out. The action and reaction played like slow motion: Max's fist, Victoria's face, Taylor's cry, Kate tugging at Max's top. _Oh my God. Oh my God, I hit Victoria. I… Shit, I broke her nose! Did I break her nose! Oh fuck, I broke her fucking nose!_ Max panicked as Victoria's head nearly went into a bathroom mirror from the surprising force of Max's punch. Steadying herself with a hand on the sink, Victoria swung at Max with her free hand and the brunette dodged the feeble attack and backpedaled, arms spread out to shield Kate.

"You fubbing bish!" Victoria screeched, her voice muffled as her hand was in place over her bleeding nose, "You moverfubbing _bish_! Ah'll geh you eshpelled fer this!"

"…Whatever," Max said, the iciness in her voice making Taylor step back only to bump up against the door. Max could hear girls whispering on the other side. _I'm already screwed now. At least I can wrench the knife some and maybe save Kate some hassle._ "You tease Kate, humiliate her every goddamn day, Victoria! What made you think one of us wouldn't fucking deck you across your bitchy face?!"

"Ohhh!" Max heard a voice cry out from the hallway. While it wasn't _her_ Dana, Max was glad to know that some things never changed. Victoria backpedaling as Max stalked after her, the blonde found herself bumping into Taylor before cringing under Max's intense glare.

"You may fucking despise me, Victoria, but the truth is that I don't even bother with you. I'm not above you, not below you. I simply don't care," Max poked at Victoria's sternum with each sentence, "You fucked with my friend, however, and _that_ I do care about. You harass Kate and treat her like shit. Now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end."

"Get. Out."

Victoria and Taylor spun in place and whipped the door open only to find the entire girls' floor on the other side, Dana's eyes widening with a smile forming as she took in the sight of a bloodied Victoria. Max watched Victoria glare at the girls before storming off with an anxious Taylor in tow. When Dana turned back from watching Victoria leave to look at Max, Max expected the worst.

"Hell yea!" Stella shouted from behind Alyssa, "Teach that bitch, Max!" The girls that had congregated in the hall poured into the shower room and swarmed both Max and Kate with hugs and concern as Max looked at Kate and the girls shared nervous smiles. _What a way to start a Tuesday._

* * *

"Max?" Kate asked as she and Max walked down the stairs toward the dormitory's front door, "Max? Don't you think that maybe we should wait for someone to-?"

"To what, Kate?" Max asked back, looking over her shoulder at her nervous friend. Flashing Kate a smirk and wink, Kate rolled her eyes, "C'mon, it's not like they can't text me to say 'Oh, Max? By the way you're kicked out, okay? Thanks and buh-bye. If I'm getting sent packing, at least allow me my last supper…or breakfast…"

Hearing Kate gasp a little, Max laughed when she realized what she had said and opened the door for Kate. Watching Kate quickly nod in appreciation, the other girl walking so fast Max thought she was trying to run away, the punkster trailed along behind Kate for only a few seconds before catching up to walk alongside her friend. Taking Kate's hand, Max gave her friend a warm smile before bumping her shoulder against Kate's. _You're hella adorable, Kate. Like,_ too _fucking adorable. Abstinence may be your friend, but it must be the bane of every person in this school that is crushing on you…_

"Waffles, or omelet?" Max asked, letting go of Kate's hand to pull out her cellphone.

"Uh…" Kate gave Max a puzzled look.

"I'm calling ahead so that our food will be good-to-go when we get to Two Whales," Max stated, watching Kate realize what she was doing, "So? Waffles or omelet?"

"Waffles," Kate replied, beaming at Max who in turn looked away as she felt her face start to heat up. _Wowsers. I forgot how you look when you smile like that._ Her attention elsewhere, Max jumped a little when her phone vibrated in her hand to the laughter of Kate in response.

 **Mom: Maxine Caulfield! You HIT a fellow student?!**

 **Mom: Explain, young lady. Now.**

 _Wowsers, Blackwell works_ hella _fast._

 **Max: Mom, for cereal you need to calm down. This girl, she was bashing one of my friends and she's a general bitch to nearly everybody in the school.**

 **Max: Enough was enough. I don't regret it, even if it means I'm expelled.**

 **Mom: You should be. I don't know why you aren't, but you should be. You're suspended. The principal is going to send you an email some time today, but I told him I would tell you myself.**

 **Mom: Max… I'm disappointed in you. And a little shocked. You've never had trouble at school before, except for me hearing how you kept to yourself so much. What happened?**

 **Max: …I snapped. I got tired of Kate being bullied and stood up to Victoria. She had it coming, and I STILL don't regret it.**

 **Mom: Are you available to talk?**

 **Max: I'm about to have breakfast with Kate. Someone… Someone posted a video of her online and I'm being uber supportive right now. Can I call you tonight?**

 **Mom: …Alright. Tonight. You WILL call me, Max. I…**

 **Mom: I'm worried about you.**

 _Crap. I don't want her getting anxious over me_ , Max thought before the screen blew up with a new string of messages from Chloe.

 **Chloe: Sorry for taking off**

 **Chloe: Well, I'm not sorry for doing it but I feel bad about not even leaving a note or whatever**

 **Chloe: You free rn?**

 **Max: Sorry. Breakfast w/Kate**

 **Chloe: The girl from the vid?**

 **Max: Yeah. She was crying when I went out into the hallway this morning before we passed out. I promised her breakfast together.**

"Max?" Max heard Kate ask, her head snapping up from looking at her phone to see Kate already in the bus. Hurrying up the steps and into the seat in front of Kate, Max gave her friend a quick grin before returning her attention to Chloe's messages.

 **Chloe: Dude**

 **Chloe: Someone just posted a video of YOU**

 **Max: WHAT?!**

 **Chloe: DID YOU PUNCH VICTORIA CHASE IN THE FACE?**

 **Chloe: Heh, rhymed it and I don't deny it**

 **Max: -_-**

 **Chloe: NO EMOJI**

 **Max: Ugh, and yes I did**

 **Max: She wouldn't leave Kate alone and she clenched her fists like she was going to hit me.**

 **Max: What does the video show, exactly?**

 **Chloe: Victoria bursting out from the shower room or wherever and glaring at the camera with her bleeding face covered up. You're standing in the room she came out of looking HELLA fucking hardcore.**

 **Chloe: Remind me not to get you THAT pissed. Ever.**

 **Chloe: Damn, you've changed so fucking much. I didn't think I would ever see you throw down like that EVER, Max!**

 **Max: You've changed, too.**

 **Chloe: …I know.**

 **Chloe: Soooooo, can we hang later?**

 **Max: Most def. I'm suspended anyway so it's not like I have a class to go to for, well, however long I'm fucking suspended**

 **Chloe: Sweet! I mean, shit for school but hella yes for us. I'll hit you up later!**

"You gonna actually eat this time and not take off, Max?" Joyce teased as Max and Kate sat at one of the booths in Two Whales. Max ran a finger along some math formulas that had been scratched into the table and looked away in embarrassment, knowing she'd left Joyce with a wasted meal and no money in exchange for said meal. "I'm not upset, Max. Just wonderin' what you've got goin' on the keep you from eatin', hun. I've seen you wolf one of our waffles down in time that could outmatch Chloe."

 _That wasn't me that ate those waffles,_ Max thought before finally looking up at Joyce. Giving Chloe's mother a nervous smile, Max shrugged her shoulders and looked across the booth to see Kate quirk an eyebrow. _I can get hella embarrassed and awkward too, Kate. Don't look at me like that. Jerk._

"I-I'm sorry about yesterday, Joyce," Max sputtered out an apology, "I… I got into it with Chloe yesterday and thought I saw her out the window so I panicked. Sorry. Make it up to you and offer to promote your food through coming here and eating a waffle every day?"

When Joyce chuckled at the offer, Max's tension eased up a bit only for Joyce to give her an even more serious look. _Oh, what now? What I do now?_

"Is it true you hit a girl, Max?" Joyce asked and her lips thinned into a straight line when Max glanced at Kate for a second before looking back up at her. Seeing Joyce shake her head, Max thought she couldn't feel any more miserable if she tried. "Max, I thought you'd be a good influence on Chloe now that you're back…"

"I'll be so good, Joyce," Max protested, her palms on the table as she leaned against it, "Hella good. You just don't know our side of the story…"

" _Our_ side, huh?" Joyce looked over at Kate and Max watched her friend shift uncomfortably. _Aw, Kate. Joyce is one of the good women._ "You seem like a sweetheart… What's your name?"

"…Kate. My name is Kate," Kate said, pausing at first out of worry before seeing the encouraging smile on Max's face. "I-Is our food almost ready?"

Max watched Joyce pick up Kate's nervousness and smiled before heading back behind the counter. Sighing from not being asked to go into greater detail over Kate's trauma, Max leaned back into her seat and sipped at her coffee, watching Kate take a drink of her tea. The tea cup, small pitcher of milk, and sugar packet played with Max's imagination and she pulled out her Polaroid camera to catch a shot of the items with Kate looking out the window, a contemplative look on her face.

"Max!" Kate said in alarm a second after the photo ejected from Max's camera, wagging a chiding finger at Max, "Max, it's not nice to do that without permission…"

"Who says I'm _always_ nice?" Max teased, Kate chuckling a bit at the response, "Besides, it was all so perfect. You, the tea, and all your tea-drinking paraphernalia. Just you wait and see, Kate Marsh; you'll be on the cover of tea magazines everywhere!"

Putting the Polaroid camera back into the camera bag, Max slid the photo into the pocket of her red leather jacket and waited patiently for the food to come as Kate pulled _The October Country_ out of her own satchel. _This is what school should be like_ , Max thought as she watched the other patrons eat their meals and drink their varying beverages, _Cool mornings and hot breakfasts. Time with friends…and the occasional schoolyard fight. I spent so long just trying to live that I forgot that_ this _is what living is like for someone my age. Orphaned and forced into adulthood at 13, I've got a second chance here in this new place._ Deep in thought, Max looked out the window and up at the sky.

The eclipse from yesterday worried her; she remembered the snow from the other timeline and now there was a freak eclipse hanging over her and Arcadia Bay. _It doesn't take a genius to see they're connected. Nothing like this happened before my powers, so what happens if I use them too much? Was the storm a nightmare like I hope, or a vision of the worst yet to come…?_ Max's phone vibrated in the inside pocket of her jacket and she pulled it out to see an incoming email.

 _Dear Ms. Caulfield,_

 _Pending further disciplinary action, it is the decision of myself as administrator of Blackwell Academy to place you on immediate suspension until further notice. I personally regret that the events involving Ms. Marsh had to come to such a violent conclusion but I have been assured by Ms. Chase that she would do everything in her power to remove the video in question. That said, I cannot help but feel disappointment that a bright student who had been received here under scholarship would set such a poor example for the other students in her dormitory. If your suspension is lifted, I can only hope that you will cease such aggressive and troublesome behavior, Max. If the suspension leads to expulsion, the mark it leaves on your record will be a disappointment to everyone here at Blackwell and I hope it doesn't come to that._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Ray Wells_

 _Principal, Blackwell Academy_

Max opened up her web browser and went to the history folder; scrolling through until she found the link, Max opened up where the video was supposed to be and found a picture of herself with the eyes crossed out in red and snickered. _Wowsers. That is your comeback, Victoria? Hella lame. At least the video is down, though…_

"Video's taken down, Kate," Max said, reaching out to show her friend the picture that had taken its place.

"Max, that's horrible!"

"Meh, it's a doodle," Max shrugged before setting the phone down so that they could eat the waffles Joyce was carrying as she headed towards them. Rubbing her hands together in anticipation, Max ignored the amused look on Kate's face and snatched up her fork as her plate was set on the table. "Time to nosh."

"'Nosh'?" Kate's amused question was met with a mild shriek when Max responded by lobbing a slice of whipped cream-laden strawberry at her friend, both girls breaking into a fit of giggles before digging into their breakfasts.

Max patted her abdomen in contentment as she scanned her empty plate and the progress Kate was making on her own half-eaten waffle. Watching her friend gingerly slice into the waffle with every bite, Max couldn't help but wonder if there was a Max Caulfield in some other timeline that was with Kate and not Chloe. Shaking her head, a rueful grin on her face, Max excused herself to use the restroom and was halfway toward the side of the diner opposite her and Kate's booth when her phone vibrated once more. _What the fuck now? Death threats from Victoria?_ Max thought as she pulled out her phone with a roll of her eyes. _Warren asking me to prom or whatever nearly an entire school year in advance? I should just find his dorm room and paper his door with post-its telling him_ I'mfucking gay. _Who the hell is…oh, oh God no_ …

 **Chloe: I've been stabbed**

 **Chloe: Max, help**

 **Chloe: This fucking hurts like a bitch**

 **Max: Where are you!?**

 **Chloe: Junkyard**

 **Chloe: Can you get my mom's car?**

 **Max: How the fuck are you texting**

 **Max: Never mind, yeah I can**

 **Max: I'm on my way, Chloe**

"Joyce!" Max shouted, looking up from her phone to see a startled look on the face of Chloe's mother. "I need your car. Right now."

"Max…?" Joyce gave the brunette a puzzled look but reached under the counter to produce a set of keys from her purse. Holding them in her hand, almost hefting them in front of Max, Joyce's brow furrowed as she eyed the young woman. "Max, what is-"

"I need them _now_ , Joyce!" Max snapped, reaching across the counter to grab them from Joyce's hand. Max knew she'd likely pay for this outburst but didn't care. Running back to the booth to hastily collect her things, Max apologized to Kate and gave her the Polaroid she'd taken, the word "Respite" written in Sharpie marker under the picture.

* * *

Max nearly broke the door to Two Whales down as she rammed it with her shoulder to get outside, leaping the small set of stairs as she made for the parking lot. Recognizing the Prices' station wagon, Max tried to shove the keys into the driver's side lock and dropped them. Cussing loudly, Max scooped up the keys and unlocked the door before slamming it behind her after she'd already started the old car up. Squealing the tires as she shot out of the parking lot at breakneck speed, Max narrowly missed oncoming traffic as she headed down Main Street toward where she remembered the junkyard from her original timeline was. _Please let there be no cops, please let there be no cops…_ , Max thought as she gritted her teeth. She should have stayed with Chloe was her first thought, the close second being the image of Chloe bleeding out among ancient rusty heaps alone and frightened. Tears running down her face, Max bit her lip and took a sharp right, ignoring the stop sign and thankful for a lack of traffic. She felt her phone go off multiple times but it was either phone or drive for her presently; Max couldn't focus on two things, the tunnel vision ending with Chloe dying was too encompassing as she tried to will the old wagon to somehow go faster.

"Come on!" Max slammed an open palm against the dash, wincing at having used the same hand she'd decked Victoria with earlier in the morning. "I need you to go faster, Goddamnit! _Faster_!"

The junkyard seemed to take forever to get to, and Max's anxiety was through the roof as she almost exited the vehicle while it was still rolling into the rusted wasteland. Almost having forgotten, Max reached into the car through her open driver's side window and put the car in park but left it running as she ran further in.

" _CHLOE!"_ Max screamed, cupping both hands to her mouth as her eyes darted around frantically, " _CHLOE!_ "

There was no sign of her in the immediate area and Max felt her body start to tremble from the terror and adrenaline; _She can't be… no, don't you fucking think that, Max Caulfield! Chloe will be fine, she's fine. You… You can't think she's_ , Max thought as she hastily began to search around for signs of her childhood best friend.

" _Goddamnit! CHLOE! FUCKING ANSWER ME, CHLOE!_ "

"…Max…?" the brunette heard a weak voice call out to her. _Where the fuck is she? It was… Was it close, or was it weak? Was it both? Ugh, fuck!_ Growling in frustration, Max stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a trail of blood droplets start from what looked to be a makeshift shooting range. _Chloe? Oh… Oh no… Nonono, this isn't happening…_

"Chloe! I need you to yell! Where are you?! _CHLOE!_ "

"Here," a faint voice called out painfully, a little louder than before. Heading off in the general direction of Chloe's voice as she continued to cry out to Max, Max followed the blood trail and found Chloe leaning against a wall in her hideout, a bloody rag pressed against her abdomen. "H-Hey, Max… _unnh,_ this hurts so bad…"

" _Chloe_ ," Max said in exhausted relief as she fell to her knees and looked at the wound frantically, "Have you called the police? An ambulance?"

"…" Chloe looked away, biting her lip.

"Jesus Christ, Chlo! _You only texted me?!_ " Max swatted Chloe on the shoulder and the bluenette winced in response. "Shit! I-I'm sorry. Chloe, we need to call an ambulance. We need to-"

"Max, can you help me up?" Chloe asked, her voice strained as she reached her arms out for Max to pull her up. Getting to her feet, Max took Chloe's hands but didn't budge. "Max?"  
"Chloe, this… we shouldn't move-"

"Will you just help me up already?!" Chloe snapped only to let out a pained whimper, "I-I'm sorry for yelling, Max, but can you _please_ help me up? I'll go to a fucking hospital, I'll eat shitty hospital food, but I need you to _help me up_ first."

"Give me just one hand, Chloe," Max said in a single breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she was on the verge of hyperventilating, "You need to keep that rag pressed against the wound, okay?"

Chloe did as she was told and Max grunted with effort as she hoisted Chloe up as carefully as she was able to. Wrapping Chloe's free arm over her shoulders, Max walked Chloe to the station wagon as quickly as she could and opened the rear hatch so Chloe could lie down. Wiping tears from her eyes, a little blood smearing across her face from having helped Chloe into the car, Max's lip quivered as she closed the hatch behind her and ran to the driver's side. Putting the car in reverse, Max told Chloe to hang on and she sped out of the junkyard as quickly as she could.

Max was almost admitted to the hospital when she brought an increasingly pale Chloe, the bluenette's face ashen and drawn as shock over what happened began to set in. Watching her friend put onto a gurney, Max felt her chest tighten and a nurse escorted her to the waiting area while taking her vitals. Swatting the nurse's hands away with an agitated look on her face, Max rested her elbows on her knees and hung her head. Her breathing beginning to normalize, Max knew she had to call Joyce and tell her what had happened. _Shit, I took her car. I'm going to have to_ pick up _Joyce. Fucking great. Fan-fucking-tastic._ Max rolled her eyes and slumped back into the stiff plastic seat of her chair and nearly threw her phone out of exasperation when it started to vibrate.

 **Kate: I hope everything is ok. I really liked the picture.**

 **Warren: Uh, hey. Sorry 'bout this morning, Mad Max. Heard what happened, saw the video – too bad ur suspended but u decking Vic was EPIC. Hand later? ;)**

 **Taylor: I just want you to know that you got off light, Max. Yeah, we're kinda shitty to Kate but that doesn't make you punching Victoria any cooler than you already WEREN'T. You can't just punch people like that. * ***

 **Dana: That WAS SO COOL. You're like our very own Champion of Kirkwall, only it's Blackwell. …If you tell anyone I play Dragon Age there could be bloodshed. ;p**

 **Juliet: I want an interview for this moment in history, Max. Hit me up!**

 **Max: *GROUP TEXT* MY BEST FRIEND IS BLEEDING OUT IN A HOSPITAL SO RIGHT NOW YOU ALL NEED TO PLEASE BACK THE FUCK OFF! AND CUT IT OUT WITH THE GODDAMN EMOJI! (** **ノ** ಠ **益** ಠ **)** **ノ彡**

"J-Joyce?" Max asked timidly, calling up Chloe's mother after waiting a few seconds to the grim satisfaction of her messaging inbox ceasing to blow up, "I-I… Chloe's been hurt, Joyce. Yeah, it's why I… Joyce, I'm s-sorry! Please, please don't be mad at… Oh, okay. I don't know why, no… Joyce, you need to try and calm down. I'm on my way… Yes, I'm leaving right now. I'll be here as soon as… Yes, as soon as possible! No no, _don't_ bring David! Chloe, she doesn't need the stress… I'm her best friend, that's how I know shit's going on between them… I'm sorry. I just… Yeah, I'm on my way," Switching her phone off to look at it sorrowfully, Max stuffed it into the camera bag and ran back out into the parking lot. _Joyce will never forgive me for this_ , Max thought grimly, _I've never heard her… She's never been mad at me like this before._ _Well… Well, fuck her if she's mad! I'm mad! Whoever did this is going to pay!_

The car ride was nothing but awkwardness and the occasional sidelong glance exchanged between Max and Joyce as Chloe's mother now drove the station wagon. Seeing her waiting in the Two Whales parking lot, Max had hit the brakes hard only to get hurriedly scooted into the passenger side as Joyce did a U-turn and headed back the way Max had come. _This is all my fault. I should have never gone back in time, should never have tried to fix things. I've… I've ruined so much…_ When she felt the sobbing coming, Max opened up the passenger side window and leaned against the door, letting the rushing wind drown out her choking sobs as she folded her knees against her chest. In that moment Max wished that she'd died in the car with her parents, that none of the past five years had come to pass. So much pain and loss at such a young age, Max felt she couldn't take the heartache anymore and just wanted to wipe it all away.

"Max…," Joyce's forced calm failed to reach Max as the station wagon pulled into a parking spot at Arcadia Bay's hospital, "Max… _Hun_ , I'm sorry for before. I know that Chloe trusts you and that I should. …You should have _told me_ , Max…"

Sliding out from her side, Max ran around to Joyce as she exited from the driver's and pulled Chloe's mother into a hug, her body shaking as she continued to cry.

"I-I'm so s-s-sorry," Max stuttered as she buried her face in Joyce's blouse, feeling the older woman pat her back to try and calm her down, "P-Please… Please don't be mad at me, J-Joyce. I d-don't think I can t-take much more of t-this…"

"Oh, Max," Joyce wrapped her arm around Max's shoulders as she walked the brunette toward the hospital, "Chloe's tough. S-She'll be alright. You make it… You make it sound like you've seen death first-hand."

 _My parents. My parents and Chloe. Chloe can't die, too, she can't!_ Max sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of her arm, wishing she hadn't gotten rid of that hoodie she'd found herself in from yesterday. Pulling up the hood on her jacket as she dragged herself over to the waiting area once more, Max felt her phone go off and screamed before pulling it out. _WHAT THE GODDAMN, ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU PEOPLE WANT FROM ME?!_

 **Dad: Max, your mom told me what happened at school today. She won't tell you this but we are proud you stood up for your friend. I hope you're doing okay, considering you got suspended. I love you, honey.**

Max's phone fell to the floor, her shaking hands unable to keep ahold of it as her eyes widened in horror. _Those words…,_ Max thought as the memory of her parents dying before her eyes at age 13 assaulted her senses. The smell of burning oil, the sound of metal being folded onto itself and breaking glass, the taste of copper as she had bit her lip hard. The image of her mother dead and her father dying before her eyes. Max watched it play out in her head like a horror movie before switching to the image of Chloe dead inside the hideaway she'd nicknamed "American Rust" in Max's original timeline and the brunette couldn't feel anything: Joyce shaking her, the nurse lifting her up, and the hoarseness of her own throat as she let out a chain of bloodcurdling screams.

* * *

The last thing Max remembered was taking a seat in the waiting room as she awoke to find herself in a hospital bed. Looking down, her mind feeling a little sluggish, Max saw that she was alone in the room and dressed in a hospital gown. An odd taste came from the back of her throat and she tried to cough up whatever it was but nothing seemed to work. _Did I pass out…? What… What happened?_ Her mind clearing a little bit as she carefully sat up, Max checked herself to see if she had somehow gotten injured, her mind a blank as to how she'd gotten into a hospital bed when she jumped at the sound of Joyce walking into the hospital room. Her hair a mess, eyes puffy from crying, Joyce crossed the space between the room's door and Max's bed on the other side and gave Max a tight, squeezing hug.

"How you feelin'?" Joyce asked as she pulled away from Max and stood bedside.

"I-I don't understand how I got here," Max said, looking around with a perplexed expression on her face. "What happened, Joyce?"

"The doctor told me that it was likely a nervous breakdown," Joyce's voice was cautious and measured as she intently watched to see Max's reaction. When the girl simply looked at her incredulously, Joyce let out a small sigh of relief, "Max, you had everybody in that waiting area terrified, and that includes me. You wouldn't stop screaming, your whole body stiff and your face, Max. You looked like you had just survived one of those horror movies you used to make Chloe watch with you."

"Really?" Max asked, her eyes searching Joyce's face to see if she was joking. When Max realized Chloe's mother was being serious, she put a hand to her palm and let out a tired groan. "I'm such a freak…"

"Max Caulfield, you are many things but a freak is not one of them," Joyce chided Max, lightly poking the girl in the shoulder for emphasis, "You saved Choe's life so don't you dare think that, d'you hear me?"

"Chloe's okay?" Max nearly leapt out of her hospital bed, leaning against the railing to the point that Joyce took a step back to avoid getting headbutted.

"She will be," Joyce's expression wavered and she frowned before looking up at Max again, "Max, she lost a lot of blood and is refusing to tell anyone what happened. Not the doctors, not the police, and obviously not me. When you get a chance, could you talk to her and find out what the hell happened? I put you on the list and since you're both being held overnight, Chloe likely _two_ nights, you spending time with her here shouldn't be a problem."

"I _will_ get to the bottom of this," Max stated, swinging her legs over the bed's side so that she could take Joyce's hands in her own, "I will find out what happened, Joyce. I swear it."

The hospital staff wouldn't let Max out of her room until the early evening hours, not satisfied that she was sufficiently calmed down until she said in no uncertain terms that with her best friend getting stabbed their asking her to calm down was "fucking ridiculous". Walking down the halls toward the ward just out of ICU that Chloe was staying in, Max could feel the cold tile through her thin, hospital-issue flip-flops. Changing into the clothes she'd bought from Goodwill the day before, Max had been too weary to slip on all of the clothes. Leaving the stockings and boots behind, she'd padded out into the chilly hall in just a tank-top and her jean shorts until she came to a door with Chloe's name written on a slate by its narrow window. Peering inside, Max watched Chloe as she looked up at the TV from her hospital bed, her shoulders and head raised to near-sitting level. Max watched Chloe glance at the door from the corner of her eye and smirked when a wry grin came across her friend's face.

"Hey," Max said quietly, opening the door just enough that she could peek her head in, "Are you decent?"

"Hey back, and I'm _never_ decent," Chloe said, wincing a bit as she snickered, "Max, you're letting all the hospital funk out. Get in here and close the door, nerd."

Stepping inside, Max closed the door behind her with a soft _click_ and walked to a chair set alongside Chloe's bed. Chloe was still a little paler than usual, her beanie sitting back where it belonged on her head, but the smile on her face and gleam in her eyes was different than when Max had seen it last. Smiling back at Chloe, Max reached out with a slightly trembling hand and took one of Chloe's, getting choked up when the bluenette intertwined their fingers together. _So much like… No, that's not right. Chloe's here, right here, and she needs you._

"Are you okay?" Max asked, knowing the question was stupid to ask but unable to think of anything else to say. "Who did this to you?"

"Mom told me what happened, Max. With you in the waiting room," Chloe's voice was soft and she reached over with her other hand to cup Max's hand in-between her own, "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? Chloe, you were _stabbed_ ," Max gave Chloe a tired look, "Am I okay? Who cares if-"

"I do," Chloe motioned for Max to scoot closer and she brought a blue-nailed hand to Max's face, gently rubbing her thumb where there were faint lines from Max's tears, "I do, Max."

"…You're being awfully sweet," Max chuckled nervously, looking off to the side as it started to grow warmer to her. When Chloe hooked a finger under her chin, Max resisted for a moment before letting Chloe's slender finger bring her back around to look at the blue-haired girl watching her with a mysterious look on her face. "Chloe…?"

"I sat there for, I think, five minutes before I texted you? Did you know… No, of course you fucking couldn't," Chloe said, bringing her hand to Max's cheek as she rubbed at it with her thumb, "I sat there, bleeding, and thought for a moment that that was it. I was done, that I'd reached my ending. Max, I was ready to die."

"C-Chloe…," Max pressed her hand onto Chloe's feeling the cool fingers on her face and she bit her lip to stop it from quivering, "Don't… D-Don't say things like that, Che. Just don't."

"You called me 'Che', just like when we were kids. 'Maxaroni n' Che', do you remember?" Max nodded when Chloe finished her question, a light-hearted smile on the bedridden girl's face, "We were gonna take over the world, go on crazy adventures together and escape this place. I was ready to escape it today, in my own way…"

"Chloe, what happened? Who did this to you?" Max's pleading tone seemed to win Chloe over, Max watching as Chloe glanced away in thought for a couple seconds before looking back over at Max. Pulling her beanie off, Chloe set it in her lap and scratched at her hair with her free hand, her other hand rubbing small circles on Max's cheek with its thumb.

"I owe this dude in town, the guy I get my weed from, and he caught me in the junkyard. I'd stolen one of my stepdouche's guns and was messing around with it when he fucking came up from behind me. He was chill at first, but he wanted 'his money' right fucking then and there, Max. I don't have three grand lying around – do you? Anyway, I tried to calm him down and he flipped. I got _this_ ," Chloe jutted her chin downwards to the area Max had seen her bleeding from in the junkyard, "A reminder to not fuck with him."

 _I'm going to kill you, Frank,_ Max thought as she watched Chloe lean back into the elevated mattress and shift a bit under the blankets. Max's thoughts were devoid of emotion; it wasn't a murderous rage, but an inevitable fact that she was going to kill Frank Bowers. Turning her attention back to Chloe, the look on her friend's mind told Max that the bluenette likely knew what she was thinking.

"You're _not_ going after him, Max," Chloe's voice was strained but stern as a frown lined her face, "I didn't get you to bring me here just so you could fucking join me. We don't need matching stab wounds, okay?"

"But Chloe-"

"Max, please swear that you will not go after him."

"But _Chloe_ -"

"Max, just swear? Please swear? I… I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt," the anxiousness of Chloe's words only partially masked something behind them to Max.

"Chloe…?"

"When I sat there," Chloe started to talk, looking up at the powered-off television as though avoiding Max's pleading face, "At first, I thought of Rachel. She… She was my angel, keeping me together sometimes. She totally saved me in a really dark time in my life. When she disappeared months ago I thought that I would be alone forever, thought that she'd bailed on me. Maybe she has, I don't know. When you think you're dying you kinda have a lot of epiphanies, 'coulda shoulda woulda' bullshit."

"Chloe-," Max said only to be cut off from a plaintive look on Chloe's face.

"Just… Let me finish, Max. Need to give my shoulders some rest, get rid of all this fucking baggage, okay? Where was I?"

"Epiphanies."

"Oh, right. So I'm sitting there, right, and I'm thinking of Rachel when you pop into my head. Not the drama with you going AWOL for five years, Max. Just you. Your smile, how your nose scrunches up when you're really happy. The way your hair kinda looks in the sunlight. Your giggles and how warm you feel when we're crashing together in bed…"

Max felt her lip start to quiver again and she let it, every word Chloe said hitting her like a sledgehammer. Every wall Max had ever built started to crumble and she felt something catch in her throat. A faint whining noise escaping her, Max looked away in embarrassment only to shift her eyes back to Chloe when the girl in the hospital bed brought a thumb to Max's lower lip and stopped the quivering with just a touch. _Chloe…_

"Max, I need you to tell me you won't leave me again. I'm not complaining, not trying to guilt you into it. I need you to promise me that-"

"Chloe, I'm so sorry for leaving you!" Max leapt out of her seat and buried her head in Chloe's blanket-covered lap, shaking from anxiety, "You don't deserve this, being hurt and in the hospital, and I don't fucking deserve you. I-I failed you as a friend, and I can't help but inevitably fuck things up just like you think you do. Chloe, people don't choose to leave you, at least I didn't. I know William didn't, either, but I'm no good for you. I'm bitter and angry _so_ much, I get defensive so easily and just fucking withdraw from the world entirely. There are things, events in my life, that are too horrible to _ever_ share and I'm so fucking twisted and broken inside that I think all I will do is hurt-"

"Max, please stop and look at me," Chloe's voice was tender as Max paused to look up from her place in Chloe's, "Max, I forgive you. For all of it. That's kinda where I was going with this, because the truth is I would want you in my life. I want the Maxaroni to my Che back."

"…I-I-" Max lifted her head up and watched Chloe try to lean forward, "Chloe, you shouldn't do that-"

Chloe's lips were dry but warm when Max felt them reach her own, her friend's breath tasting like cheap cigarettes and hospital gelatin. _She tastes like cherries_ , Max thought as she found herself leaning in as they continued to kiss. Max brought a hand up to Chloe's cheek and felt her moan slightly at the touch. As they continued to kiss, Chloe's lips became wet from Max's and there were faint smacking sounds as they would part to breathe only to collide once more. The kissing intensified, Max feeling Chloe's tongue try to pry her lips apart only to open her mouth and slide her tongue against Chloe's. Clumsily getting to her feet, Max climbed onto the hospital bed and straddled Chloe as she leaned down to continue their kissing. Max's worries and doubts, the terrified 13 year-old girl who watched as she was brought to a stranger's house to live, all fell away as she melted into the girl lying underneath her. Five years of hell for Max became a fading nightmare when brought to bear against the hot lips of Chloe Price. Pulling back when she felt Chloe wince and twitch, Max remained seated on the bluenette's lap and panted as Chloe caught her breath as well.

"W-Wowsers," Max muttered, raising a hand to her lips to feel the wetness left behind by Chloe, "Che, I-"

"I… I'll need some time, Max, and we need to find out what happened with Rachel, but when all this is fucking done I'd like to try you and me as… I want you to be my girlfriend," Chloe said, looking away the entire time until she began to fidget when Max didn't answer straight away, "Max…?"

"Is… Is it okay if I kinda call you my girlfriend before we're done with our quest?" Max asked, sliding the fingers of both her hands into Chloe's, looking up at the bluenette with a shy, lip-biting smile.

"…Is that a yes…?" Chloe asked, her face turning scarlet as she swallowed hard and looked at Max, "You can't use this level of cute on me, Maxaroni. I'm fucking bedridden, I'm-"

"It's a hella yes, you fucking dork," Max said, leaning down to give Chloe an Eskimo kiss before bringing their lips together for a real one.

"Amazeballs."

 **Author's Note –**

 **This concludes Chapter 10 of Fighters, and I hope you all liked the ending of this part. Will Max ever go back to her own timeline? I can only shrug in response because** _ **I'm not fucking telling so nyah.**_ **:P**

 **Seriously though, after that ending do you actually** _ **want**_ **her to go back? I never said it would be one way or the other, but what does that mean? Am I implying something? Is this foreshadowing? Are you cereal? Max is in the timeline she's in and that's all I am going to say. While the storyline was thrown into the game's main timeline Punk Max has already had an effect only two days in. I know the Chasefield shippers might have thought I was going somewhere with that tender Polaroid moment, but a punch to the face does not make Max go happy-happy with Victoria Chase.**

 **What will Punk Max do next, now with something of a budding romance starting between her and Punk Chloe? Can Arcadia Bay hand these angsty girls now that they're together? Will Lisa survive, having only been watered once? How will Max being suspended alter events in comparison to the game?**

 **Will Warren** _ **ever**_ **get to "Go Ape"?**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you all later with Chapter 11!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**

 **PS – The Best…Is Yet…To Come…*newspaper clippings blow in the wind only to smack Alyssa in the face***


	11. Chapter 11

**Mz Hyde**

 **Song by Halestorm**

Max sat in Chloe's hospital room and watched her friend sleep as the dawn's early light began to filter through the closed blinds and illuminate the otherwise dark room with a golden shafts of sunlight. Half-asleep herself, Max stretched a bit in her seat and smiled tiredly as she watched Chloe's chest rise and fall slowly as the bluenette's face exuded a calming feeling on her. _She's so tranquil, so at peace,_ Max thought as she quietly got to her feet and walked over to the window. Peering through the blinds, Max watched a hazy mist begin to dissipate as the Sun warmed the air in Arcadia Bay, the October weather bringing cooler nights despite the still warm days. _Well, warm for Oregon_.

All but demanding that she get to sleep in Chloe's room, her caregiver at the hospital had relented when Max wedged shut and braced herself against the door to Chloe's room. Chloe, lying in her hospital bed with a hand to her abdomen where she'd been stabbed, had snickered at first before breaking into a fit of pained, raucous laughter when her mirth seemed to entice Max further and the brunette had threatened to barricade the door shot. A minute-long shouting match and two doctors' reassurances later, Max was opening the door to bolt down the hall toward the room that she had been using. Grabbing the camera bag from her hospital bed, Max trashed the throwaway flip-flops that the hospital had provided and slipped on her stockings and boots before walking hurriedly to Chloe's room. Worried that they would have secured the door after she left, Max saw her doctor smirk and wink at her when she audibly sighed in relief as the doorknob turned. Opening the door, Max sat her camera bag on the room's dresser and climbed into bed with a waiting, smiling Chloe.

Max's and Chloe's smiles were a little warmer when their eyes met than they had been just the day before, a change occurring not only between them but in them separately. Max felt Chloe was no longer looking into her from outside the walls she had put up after her parents died but _within_ those remaining walls. While Chloe was still just as sarcastic and irreverent as before, there was a softness in her voice and eyes whenever their eyes met. When their hospital dinners arrived, Max had playfully fed Chloe nothing but the gelatin side dishes and had laughed when Chloe complained about tasting like bad cough syrup before Max had crashed into her lips with a kiss that was interrupted by their own laughter. Only when Chloe's attention was momentarily elsewhere would Max's smile fade as she would just watch Chloe as she'd look out the window or watch TV. Her face unreadable, Max wondered what the future in this timeline would mean when she didn't know five years of her own past. _Never mind me. Chloe's been through so much while this Max… while_ I _was away. I'm here now though, and I will never fucking let you go, Chloe._

"Max?" Max heard Chloe ask in a sleepy voice before turning around from the window and her thoughts to see Chloe watching her with a smile and twinkling eyes. "Dude, you look like you have a halo. You've got this… this radiance, standing in front of the sunlight like that. Shame _you're_ the photographer, nerd, because I'd totally snap a shot of you right now."

"W-Why don't you, then?" Max asked, feeling at being called anything along the lines of radiant, walking over to the dresser to toss her camera bag at Chloe. Max winced when it landed close to where her friend had been stabbed, "Sorry…"

Watching Chloe give her an irked grimace before shaking her head in amusement, Max scratched at the back of her head and an embarrassed laugh escaped her lips. Her hand fishing through Max's bag, Chloe brought out the old Polaroid camera and began to line up a shot as Max stood motionless in front of the window. Noticing that Chloe seemed to be waiting for something, Max tilted her head and smirked in puzzlement at the bluenette only to get a camera flash momentarily blinding her in reply.

"Max, you are hella cute, but it's near-impossible to get you to really smile," Chloe remarked as she shook the photo and placed it on her lap, sliding the camera back into Max's bag as she handed it off and saw Max staring at her. _Do you have any idea how the light looks when it hits your hair, Chloe? It's like you are the ocean_. _Never mind when_ you _smile, dork._ "Hey, I didn't mean anything bad by-"

"I know, Chloe," Max said, standing at her bedridden friend's side, rubbing her thumb against the back of Chloe's palm as they held hands. "I am something of a hardass, huh?"

"Hot piece of ass, more like it," Chloe teased, winking at Max as the brunette rolled her eyes before leaning in to kiss Chloe good morning. " _Mmm_ , morning smooches. Got to say, Caulfield, you got some mad skills. I… I'm really liking this, Max, like hella liking."

Another development coming out of Chloe's self-proclaimed 'Brush with Death' was an intensifying of their relationship. "More than friends, less than lovers" had been the way Max described it while lying alongside Chloe in the hospital bed the previous evening. Fingers interweaving only to trace along each other's arms randomly, both Max and Chloe wanted to get closer despite lying side by side. They had talked for hours, Max's hopes regarding whatever happened with her standing at Blackwell and college along with Chloe's desire to get out of Arcadia Bay and pursue her interest in art. They made plan after plan about what to do together now that they were reunited and had giggled at their collaborative idea of sailing the coast like the pirates they'd pretended to be when they were younger. Kissing each other until both of them had cherry gelatin breath, Max had slid out of bed long enough for the nurse to come in and administer a shot so Chloe would be able to sleep more easily. Feeling Chloe nuzzle into her neck, Max slid up on the bed a little until her friend's head was nestled in the crook of her neck. Watching Chloe fall asleep, the bluenette peacefully breathing with a contented smile on her face, Max had ran a hand through Chloe's blue hair and watched her sleep.

"Good morning to you too, jerk," Max replied, giving Chloe one more kiss before standing back up, "You gonna miss me?"

"You going somewhere?" Chloe quirked an eyebrow, smirk on her face, "I see how it is, Caulfield. Get me to sleep with you _twice_ , make out with you a fuck-ton of times, and now you take off and leave me half-naked. Oh, the life of a nerd's mistress, afraid a badass like me will kill her geek cred."

"Yes, that's exactly it, drama mama," Max flipped Chloe off before taking a seat on the edge of her friend's bed. Lacing her fingers back into Chloe's hand, Max looked up to see the sarcastic grin soften on Chloe's face turn into a faintly blushing smile. "I'm getting discharged in an hour, Chloe. We'll have to settle for visiting hours this afternoon until _you_ get discharged tomorrow, okay? It is tomorrow, right?"

"Ugh, kill my happy why dontcha," Chloe nodded quickly before turning her head to face the window with a defeated look on her face, watching Max from the corner of her eye, "I… I wish you didn't have to go, Max. Every time you take off, part of me worries that I might not see you again. Five years was too long for this, whatever _this_ is." Chloe squeezed her fingers against Max's and Max returned the gesture.

"I know, and I feel the same way, but a delinquent like me still has shit to do," Max slumped her shoulders and brought a hand to the bluenette's cheek, gently rubbing her thumb against Chloe's jawline as she looked to the window, "Fuck, you make me so damn mushy, you brat. You want the blinds open, Baby Blue?"

"'Baby Blue'?" Chloe looked at Max and snorted before seeming to acquiesce to her new nickname, "Yeah, blinds open. When we dye your hair I'm totally gonna come up with a nickname. Baby Blue? F-Fucking hippie…" Max looked over her shoulder as she opened up the blinds to smirk with one of her eyebrows raised at a scarlet-faced Chloe. "Yeah yeah, I know. You look like as much of a hippie as I do. Days gone by, huh?"

"…Something like that." _I haven't been that girl in a long fucking time, Chloe. Don't know if I could even go back there if I tried. Hope that what you see in me is enough, because I don't think I could fall any harder for you._ Taking her spot on the edge of Chloe's bed, Max spread her fingers wide to let Chloe's slip back in and bit her lip as she watched the blue nailed- fingers bend down to clasp onto her hand. Swallowing hard, Max looked up to see an amused look on Chloe's face. _Okay, asswipe. I'm totally allowed to get flustered with all this mushy crap, too. Sometimes. Besides, Chloe, I had you blushing last night, didn't I?_ " _Anyway_ … Doth the punk-ass have a request for when she is released from thine cell tomorrow?"

"The 'punk' hella does, but the good stuff'll have to wait," Chloe snickered, "I'd like some quality grub and quality Max time, but I want to work on finding out what happened to Rachel. Max, you're gonna still help me with that, right?"

 _Rachel_. Max couldn't help but think of the girl who was her sister in another life, her smile when they would meet to hang out or how she'd laugh over the dumbest things. _She was an angel in my timeline, and Chloe's in this one. Now, if I want to have any chance of a real future with this Chloe I_ have _to figure out what happened to Rach. This is going to be fucking brutal._ Lost in her thoughts, Max looked up and made a sheepish face when Chloe coughed to get her attention.

"I suppose I shall have to appease you and grant your wish, then," Max smiled, exaggeratingly rolling her eyes as she leaned in to kiss Chloe, their lips a little dry from not having drank anything since last night. Feeling Chloe's tongue slide along her lips, Max let out a low purring moan before pulling back. "Can't we just skip ahead to the happy ending where we burn down the school and roast marshmallows, Chloe? I could so get used to this."

"Heh, I _am_ hella fine," Chloe smiled and motioned with her chin at the door, "Thanks for agreeing to help me, Max. Now, get out of here before I decide to hide you under my blankets, nerd."

"Hmmm…," Max opened both her palms and began to lift her arms up and down to mime weighing her options.

" _Ugh._ You are such a fucking tease, Caulfield!" Chloe groaned when Max laughed and pulled one of her pillows out from behind her head to throw it at the retreating Max. "Get outta here, you dirty little shit! See you this afternoon, and you better fucking show! Bring smokes!"

Max closed the door behind her and heard what she assumed was Chloe's pillow smack against the narrow window. Snickering, Max stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and walked down to the coffee machine that was nestled in a corner next to a table with what looked to be at least two-day old donuts. Poking at a glazed donut with her index finger, Max winced at how stale the food was and heard her stomach growl as she dropped in a couple quarters she'd managed to get from the night duty head nurse before she'd taken off an hour ago. The coffee was hot but acrid to the point of Max coughing from just a sip. _This tastes like it sat at the bottom of a percolator from the fucking dawn of time_ , Max thought as she cringed while sipping at the overly-dark beverage. Leaning against the machine's side that was facing the double doors leading into the hospital's front waiting area, Max reluctantly pulled out her phone and bit her lip anxiously at the emphatic lack of messages. _Wow. At least they listened, I guess._

 **Max: *GROUP TEXT* You all caught me at the worst possible time yesterday. My bad if you got butthurt.**

 _Jesus, I scared them all off,_ Max thought as her eyes widened in anticipation while staring at the blank screen until a series of pings accompanied a small list of messages. _Oh, thank Dog._

 **Dana: worst apology ever, "Mad" Max lol**

 **Max: At least you get something of an apology. I'm not that great at those. Also, Mad Max is a legit nickname and one I already have eheheh**

 **Juliet: I still want my interview, Mad Max!**

 **Max: Ugh, Juliet. Motherfucking UGH**

 **Dana: LMAO she just slumped into my couch, Max**

 **Juliet: Hey!**

 **Kate: Hey, Max :D**

 **Kate: How's your friend?**

 **Max: She's gonna be out tomorrow morning. I'm getting discharged shortly, so there were sadface moments and kisses.**

 **Dana: ? She? Kisses?**

 **Kate: Aww, that sounds sweet 3**

 **Juliet: Gossip! Deets, Max. Now.**

 **Warren: …at least now I know why you keep shooting me down, lol**

 **Max: lol, I am hella gay. (** **ﾉ** **ヮ** **)** **ﾉ** ***:** **･ﾟ**

 **Dana: (^o^)**

 **Kate: :)**

 **Juliet: I'm kinda surprised that you'd say it so freely, Max.**

 **Max: No Ragrets XD**

 **Dana: jfc lol**

 **Warren: So, um, who's this mystery woman?**

 **Dana: YES WHO**

 **Juliet: TELL**

 **Kate: You guys! Max will tell us when she's ready**

 **Max: Yeah, we're taking things really easy and slow rn. More than being friends, but nothing official past that…**

 **Max: She's going through some heavy stuff and I want her to heal first before I bum-rush her with feels and heavy petting**

 **Kate: Max!**

 **Dana: OMG Kate lol**

 **Juliet: Kate yelled your name out loud, Max**

 **Juliet: We could hear it from Dana's room**

 **Warren: Awww, Kate…**

 **Kate: …I'm fine**

 **Kate: I'll be fine, really**

 **Kate: TMI, maybe?**

 **Max: Heading there for clothes and shit around noon for clothes. See you all soon. Even you, Waldo**

 **Warren: O_o**

 **Max: Heh. I meant Warren. Just fucking with you. ;D**

Putting her phone away, Max turned to see a nurse approaching her with a clipboard. Hastily scribbling her initials where indicated by the blue arrow stickers, Max handed the paperwork back to the nurse so suddenly that he nearly dropped it as Max spun on her heel and hurried through the opening double doors. Pulling a set of keys from the camera bag hanging off her shoulder, Max found the one she was looking for and unlocked Chloe's truck.

Chloe's stepfather had been reluctant to hand over the keys to someone he only knew as the "delinquent that hit another student", but caved under the withering stare of Joyce Price when he was reminded that the young woman before him likely saved his stepdaughter's life. _Goddamn, you're an asshole in this timeline, too? I cannot win_ , Max had thought to herself as he begrudgingly handed over the truck keys. Still on edge, Max had suppressed the urge to try and punch him in favor of a fake smile as she swiped the keys from his hand rather than let him give them to her. Seeing Joyce sigh a little in resignation, Max pointedly looked away from David's narrowed eyes until it got to be too much and she met his glare with one of her own.

"You two, please! Not now, okay?" Joyce had asked in a raised, irritated voice as she moved to step in-between them, "Max, I swear, you are as bad as Chloe… What happened to you?"

"…I had a _really_ fucked-up five years," Max had admitted to Joyce, shrugging with a deadpan look on her face. _Don't know if I actually did here, but who the fuck cares at this point? Parents alive, Chloe and me becoming a possibility, and I'm making friends. High school stuff._ She didn't know too much about this new timeline aside from what she'd gathered over the past couple days, but Max was more interested in _not_ being this timeline's Max Caulfield than trying to imitate her. _I'm not going to be pussy-footing around like some shy, delicate little shit. I guess I don't need to be complete and utter shit, though._ "…Sorry, Joyce. I'll try to be better, for Chloe's sake."

"I hope so, Max," Joyce had turned to take ahold of Max's shoulders, "She _needs_ you, Max. Lord knows she won't listen to me, never mind David. Go on back in and look after my daughter."

"Ugh," Max groaned when she caught a whiff of the disinfecting soap that the hospital had used on her clothes as she climbed into the driver's seat of Chloe's truck. "I smell like hospital and hand sanitizer. Maybe I'll borrow some of Chloe's gear, too. I only really have _this_ and the other plebian shit from before I got here."

* * *

Max waltzed through the front door of Chloe's house and was met with silence. _Nobody home, I guess._ Max mentally shrugged and walked into the kitchen to get something to drink, heading upstairs with a glass of water and slice of cold pizza. Pizza slice in her mouth, Max used her free hand to turn the knob and enter a room that was hauntingly familiar. Managing to catch herself before she dropped the glass of water, Max couldn't salvage what remained of the pizza slice as it hung for a moment from her dropped jaw before falling to the floor. _Oh my…Oh my God, this is crazy_ , Max thought to herself as she surveyed the room.

Graffiti in the exact same place, swipes of black marker streaked across the same areas that she had already come to know, Max examined the posters next after setting the water down on Chloe's desk. Most of the posters were familiar to Max, some even in the exact same place as the other Chloe's were. The few band posters she didn't recognize weren't a shock, nor were the lack of fight posters. _Chloe never got into fighting here, at least not trained fighting._ Running a finger along a piece of graffiti that unnerved her, a filled-in black circle with "hole to another universe" scrawled above it, Max turned and took a piece of paper from the desk before falling back on Chloe's bed.

"Rach…," Max whined softly, reading off in her head the information that Chloe had listed in the poster. _Same name, same birthday, same goofy-ass feather earring. You used to have two of them, Rachel, but you never did tell me where the other one went… Where the fuck are you, Sis? How the hell did you wind up here, of all places? This time-space shit is really wracking my brain…_ Setting the paper down, Max searched through Chloe's various boxes and shelves until she managed to scrounge up a cigarette and disposable lighter. The tobacco was stale and nearly as choke-inducing as the hospital's coffee but some relief to Max was better than no relief. Sitting back on the bed, cross-legged with the flyer in her lap, Max pulled out her cellphone and began to type.

 **Max: Che?**

 **Chloe: Hey Max what's up?**

 **Max: Curious – when did Rachel move here?**

 **Chloe: Uh, why? I mean, it was a few years ago. She never really talked about it. Only mentioned that her folks in Arcadia Bay were like an aunt and uncle.**

 **Chloe: What you getting at? Why THAT question…?**

 _I can run with this, maybe not be so hella awkward. I don't want to lie to Chloe, but I don't want to fucking hide five years of my life_ , Max paused, popping the knuckles of her still-bruised hand before resuming their discussion.

 **Max: You promise not to get pissed?**

 **Chloe: Uh, what…?**

 **Max: I won't say until you promise**

 **Chloe: Ok, fine I promise. Max, you're weirding me out. I'm reading and can tell you're suddenly all fucking bidness.**

 **Chloe: You can tell me anything, Maxaroni. You know that.**

 **Max: …I…I kinda knew Rachel from before she came here**

Max waited for a response, biting the nails of her free hand as she held the phone with trembling fingers. She didn't know how Chloe would respond, was afraid of being called out on it or Chloe just shutting down. While it was true that something was different between them now, Max knew that they were both perfectly capable of just switching everything off. Max knew because she knew how she was, and Chloe was an easy guess to the punkster because Chloe and she acted _a_ _lot_ alike.

 **Chloe: don't fuck with me, Max**

 **Max: She has a mole on the small of her back with a scar next to it from where she got into an accident as a kid. Something about mountain biking and loose rocks on the trail, I think. Shit's confusion after a while...**

 **Chloe: JFC you DID know her!**

 **Chloe: WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!**

 **Max: Because I didn't want you to freak the fuck out, Chloe**

 **Chloe: and yet here I am, freaking the actual fuck out**

 **Chloe: Dude, when we all hook up it is going to be EPIC. And you're both gonna pay for fucking knowing each other and neither of you telling me. Goddamn jerks. You, Max Caulfield, are hella lucky I like you so damn much**

 **Max: Heh**

 **Max: I'm gonna borrow some of your clothes and head out, try and pick up some clues. I'll see you this afternoon, okay?**

 **Chloe: drop a knowledge bomb on me only to walk away to avoid looking at the casualties?**

 **Max: UGH, you motherfucking whiner! I'm sorry okay?**

 **Chloe: lol we'll talk later, Max. Be safe. Don't need me leaving here only to have you get brought back in, dude**

"Well, that bombshell went off better than expected," Max thought as she took the cigarette out of her mouth and leaned into her hands, "God, Max, what the fuck are you doing? What was that, lying so openly to Chloe like that? I know _my_ Rachel but this is _her_ Rachel… That shit's not fair to either of us."

Lifting up her hand, cigarette still lit between her fingers, Max cleared her mind as much as she could and began to pull time in the reverse of its usual flow. Looking down at the phone on Chloe's bed, messages winking out in reverse order, Max waited until nearly the beginning before letting time resume normally. Scooping the phone back up, Max started their discussion again.

 **Chloe: Hey Max what's up?**

 **Max: not much**

 **Max: Miss you, want to be with you so I can actually feel chill**

 **Chloe: D'aww am I your security blankie?**

 **Max: You're going to be in the fucking trash if you don't quit it :P**

 **Chloe: No emoji**

 **Max: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Chloe: u r fucking evil**

 **Max: heheh um I'm gonna ransack your wardrobe, raid your fridge, and head out. Time to look for clues**

 **Chloe: For Rachel?**

 **Max: who the fuck else am I supposed to be looking for, dork? Waldo? The One Ring?**

 **Chloe: Max we're gonna have to talk bout your lack of ppl skillz and uber nerdage**

 **Max: Coming from you, it will be half-filled with "hella" and "fuck" so I think I'm good as is.**

 **Chloe: Fuck off, nerd**

 **Max: Later, asswipe! ;***

Setting her phone down, Max took one more whiff of her tank-top and wrinkled her nose up before stripping.

Clad in a red and black flannel, tank-top with a spiked skull, and jeans that she had cut into shorts, Max pulled into Two Whales to get a cup of decent coffee and a donut for the road. Fixated on her mission to find Rachel, Max made a sharp left into the diner's parking lot and nearly hit an RV that was parked in three spaces. _What a shithead,_ Max thought with a faint scowl as she parked the truck and climbed out. Hearing a dog bark from inside the camper, Max walked past the vehicle and toward the diner only to see one of her classmates get splashed with water when a truck hit a roadside puddle. Max couldn't remember her name, but rewound anyway and called out to the girl so that she didn't wind up soaking wet. Seeing the girl look at her confusedly, Max turned and headed into Two Whales, Joyce greeting her from across the counter with a mixed look of greeting and apprehension. _Uh oh, I'm on Joyce's shitlist._

"Max," Joyce said, her tone neutral and professional as she set a coffee cup on the counter for the punkette, "Raid Chloe's closet?"

"Yeah," Max smirked as she tugged at the flannel shirt, "The hospital detergent reeks, and Chloe's got hella better fashion style than I do. Mousey clothes do not suit me, well, I guess they don't anymore. Joyce, look-"

"I know. You're sorry. It's just… I wonder where that shy, friendly girl that would come over to visit Chloe even if it was only for a few minutes has gone. You said that you've had… a _messed-up_ life, Max, but what does that mean? What could make someone so bright and cheerful become so angry?"

 _Almost five years of near-constant hell, Joyce. Burns on my arms, cuts on my thighs. Fights, not getting to eat for days at a time. My parents dying before my eyes._

"It's hard to explain," Max said before reaching out to lay her hand over Joyce's as she finished pouring Max's coffee, "Look, I _am_ sorry. I… I don't respond well to bullies and I know how David and Chloe are. You can't blame me for getting pissed at the guy who hit my friend."

Joyce seemed to soften at that, satisfied with Max's answer as she leaned against the counter. The visible tension in her body easing up, Joyce gave Max a warmer smile than the previous one and slid her hand free to pat Max's affectionate.

"I know you're just lookin' out for Chloe. God knows I try to, but that girl is as stubborn as a mule and twice as irritable. She and David have never seen eye-to-eye, and I'm not sure they ever will," Joyce gazed over Max's shoulder to the diner's windows, her face pensive and sad, before shifting her gaze once more to Max, "I just want us to be a family, y'know? David is rough, but that's because Chloe pushes him and he doesn't know how to react. He paid his dues in war, Max, but how can he learn how to be a father when he has a daughter who isn't willing to help?"

Max gave Joyce an apologetic look, unsure of what else she could say. _David might mean well. Sometimes that isn't enough, Joyce._ Breaking their hands apart, Max lifted her cup of coffee and ordered a cherry Danish to break the awkward silence between herself and Joyce. Sipping at her beverage between bits of flaky pastry, Max scrolled one-handedly through her phone. Searching for information on Rachel's disappearance, Max found months-old missing person reports, news articles, and a couple interviews; nothing that could help her investigation.

"Rachel?" Max heard an oddly familiar voice ask and she felt a hand spin her around on the stool.

 _Oh. Oh, fuck you,_ Max nearly blurted out as she sat looking directly into the eyes of Nathan Prescott. As if in sync, both of them narrowed their eyes into slits and Nathan took a half-step back as though Max were toxic.

"Whatthefuck," Nathan muttered as he sneered at Max while glancing her over, "Halloween come early, _Max Amber_?"

"I don't know, Nathan?" Max slid off the stool to stand inches from Nathan's face, "Drug any girls at a Vortex party lately and snap a few photos?" Memories of coming in Nathan's dorm room from the other timeline, the satisfying feel of her boot slamming into his midsection as he whimpered in pain, popped into Max's head as she squared off with Prescott. Max realized she must've been making some kind of face because Nathan hesitated before speaking up.

"Hey, my family can sue your ass," Nathan's voice was venomous as he poked Max in the chest with the enunciation of every word, "Besides, you'll likely be dragging your family into the poorhouse once Victoria decides to sue you. Nice cheap shot, but you could never take her down in a fair-"

" _Fair_?" Max felt her body tense up and the next thing she knew she was dragging Nathan by his arm out of the diner. Feeling his hand try to pry her fingers free, Max threw him against the RV and leveled a hateful gaze at the boy, "You _drug_ Kate, you fucking bring a gun to school so you can shoot my friend in the restroom. You're a goddamn psycho, _Asscott_."

"S-Shut the fuck up!" Nathan sputtered, flinching when he heard the dog bark from inside the RV, "At least that lez got what was coming to her. Frank shanked her ass, so now you two can go play badass else-"

Max leaned into the RV, hands on either side of Nathan's head, and slammed her knee into Nathan's crotch with enough force that she felt his body shudder from the impact. Grabbing him by the chin, Max lifted his head up so that they were eye-to-eye once more. _I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel a thing if I killed you and rewound._ Feeling disgusted with herself at the idea, Max settled for kneeing Prescott again and chuckled a bit when the boy started to moan.

"Don't like it when a girl fights back, huh?" Max asked as she let go of Nathan, watching him crumple to the ground before curling into a fetal position. Kneeling down next to him, Max reached inside of his jacket and pulled out the handgun she remembered from the restroom where he'd initially shot Chloe. "You think this makes you strong, but all it does is show how fucking scared you are."

"What the hell do you w-want?" Nathan wailed, sobbing a little as Max stowed the gun behind her back and stood up to glower at him.

"I want to know why you dosed Kate. I want you to tell me what you know about Rachel. And you're _gonna_ tell me, Nathan," Max said menacingly, eyes narrowed into slits again, "I'm not the little girl you fucking all think I am."

Max listened attentively to Nathan for the next five minutes or so, the fright in his voice seeming to make his words come out in a rush, Max felt herself disassociate further and further from where she was. She knew she was standing in the diner's parking lot, looking down at Nathan Prescott as he confessed everything that he'd done but Max could only pick up a numbing sensation that seemed to permeate her both inside and out. _I… I can't feel anything_ , Max thought after she sluggishly raised her hand to reverse time when Nathan began to beg and plead for Max to not tell his sister or Victoria. Pulling time all the way back to just before Nathan had grabbed her shoulder in the diner, Max spun around in her seat to look at Nathan with dead eyes.

"What?" Max asked, her voice lifeless and hollow. She stared at him with a blank expression and Nathan walked away muttering "fucking creepy bitch" for Max to spin back around. Feeling a trickle of something hot run down from her nose, Max reached over and grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped absently at the nosebleed.

"Max? You okay, hun? That was Nathan Prescott, wasn't it?" Joyce asked, looking over her shoulder to see the blank look on Max's face. "Max? Max…?"

"…Um, h-how much do I owe you?" Max stuttered as though she was shaken out of a troubling thought. _She's dead._

"For coffee and a half-eaten Danish? Max, I think I can cover that," Joyce said with an affectionate smile, leaning down to try and look Max in the eye. Noticing that Max was averting her gaze so that she wasn't looking at anyone, Joyce sighed as a faint smile came across her lips in recognition of something. Finally looking up at Joyce, Max gave her an odd, quizzical look.

"What?"

"Oh, nothin'," Joyce said, giving Max a good lookover, "Well, it's just that you look good in those clothes."

"Uh, thanks?" Max looked down at her shirt and frowned, "There something special about this particular flannel shirt? Chloe had a shitload of them."

"That's Rachel's shirt, I think. It-," Joyce cut herself off when Max's frown turned into a horrified scowl and she ripped the flannel shirt off and ran out the door, leaving Joyce to call out after her from behind the counter.

The first thing that Max felt as she made it to Chloe's truck was the sensation of what was in her stomach come up and out. Her stomach knotted up as she leaned against the truck's hood and threw up in the space between a brick wall and Chloe's vehicle. _She's dead_ , kept repeating over and over in Max's mind. _She's dead…She's dead. Rachel… Rachel is dead. Oh God… Oh god this is all my fault. I fucked with time, changed history, and this is my karma. I get my parents back and lose the only family I've had for the past five years, for_ my _five years._ Hearing footsteps, the sound muffled from the sound of Max's heart pounding loudly enough that she could feel it everywhere, the brunette looked up and put out a hand to halt Joyce Price's approach.

"Max, what is going on? Is there something you're not telling me?" Joyce asked, her voice a mixture of concern and apprehension. "You come back and you're so… You're so-"

"I am _tired_ ," Max croaked, and Joyce flinched at the cold look in Max's eyes, "I am so fucking tired of people telling me that I'm acting different. I _am_ different. The Max you knew from all those years ago went through a lot of shit, Joyce, and I'm what survived. I'm angry, I'm hurt, and I'm _fucking tired._ Please… Please just go away…"

"…I'm not so sure it's a good idea to leave you alone," Joyce said, crossing what little distance remained only to have her hand brushed away when she tried to console Max, "Max, whatever it is you're holdin' onto can't be somethin' you have to do alone. I'm here, _Chloe_ 's here-"

"How the fuck am I going to tell Chloe?" Max whimpered to herself, leaning her head against the hood only to jerk it over so that the bile that rose from her stomach didn't splash across the truck. Coughing, her throat raw and voice cracked, Max looked up at Joyce with bloodshot eyes and a trickle of blood coming from her nose. "I _can't_ , Joyce. I can't tell _anyone_. No one would believe me if I did. No one."

Forcibly pushing herself away from the truck, Max stumbled for a few steps before walking around to the passenger side of Chloe's truck so she could avoid Joyce. Unlocking the door, Max climbed in and slid over to the driver's side and ignored Joyce's pained face as she started up the vehicle. Waiting until she could see from her peripheral vision that Joyce had backed away from the truck, Max pulled out of the parking space and sped out into the street. _Rachel is dead and it is all my fault. Chloe… Chloe will be devastated. Her Rachel is gone, her angel, and_ I _have to find some goddamn way to tell her…_ Max let out an angry, frustrated scream, people along the sidewalk turning to look in the direction of a speeding truck as it shot down Main Street and into the turnoff that led towards Blackwell Academy.

* * *

Max threw open the door to her dorm room's floor with enough force that it banged against the wall, alerting people who were still in their rooms that someone was pissed. Seeing a couple people she didn't know poke their heads out, Max flipped them off with an angry look on her face and watched them quickly turn tail and shut their doors with a dark satisfaction. _I don't need to be liked. I don't want to be the bully, but I sure as fuck am not a goddamn hero._ Seeing Dana's room open with herself and Kate sticking their own heads out, Max stopped in mid-step and let out a weary sigh before turning her head to look over at them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Dana asked, opening the door entirely. Max could see Juliet typing away on her phone until she looked up to see Max. Feeling her phone vibrate, Max looked down at her jacket, then up at Juliet and smirked.

"From you, I take it?" the sarcasm in Max's voice was subtle enough that Dana smirked while Kate looked back at Juliet thinking that Max was actually asking, only realizing when Juliet looked away in mild embarrassment that Max was teasing the high school rpeporter. "I… I don't really have time to talk right now, dude. Sorry."

"Max, wait," Kate said, scurrying from behind Dana to take Max by the hand, "You can talk to us. I-I've seen that look before, Max. In the shower room, with Victoria. Please, please just-"

"Kate," Max put her hands onto Kate's shoulders and leaned her forehead against her friend's. Watching Kate's eyes widen, Max figured that the sweet girl must've figured she had been crying and pulled back after kissing her friend on the forehead. "You are _so_ kind and sweet. You're honestly who I wish I could be right now-"

"You _can be_ , Max. You can-"

"-But I can't, Kate," Max bit her lip and tried to give her friend a smile. "I can't be nice, or kind, or sweet right now. I… I don't know if I'll ever be any of those things again…"

Max felt her body begin to shake and she tried to hold back the pain and tears. Feeling Kate wrap her up in a hug only made things worse for the angry brunette and she let out a warbled moan that started to turn into a mixture of sobs and screaming. Attracting the attention of some other dorm residents, Max squeezed her eyes shut to try and block them all out of her mind as Kate patted her back. _The gun. She's going to feel the gun if she reaches any lower! Pull back, Max. Pull the fuck back!_ Ripping herself out of Kate's hug, Max turned and ran into her dorm room. Slamming the door shut, Max hurriedly stashed the gun in a dresser drawer and made to lock the door behind her when Dana, Kate, and Juliet barged in. Seeing Taylor peek out from Victoria's door out of curiosity, the screaming having drawn everyone's attention, all the eyes on Max was too much and her awkwardness and shyness from so long ago took hold. Backpedaling into her desk, Max shook her head as the three girls came in and begged them to leave her alone.

"J-Just leave me alone, p-please. _Please_ ," Max implored. "You d-don't want to know this, don't make me t-tell you. I-I… I haven't even t-told C-C-Chloe…" Max brought her hands up to her face to hide the outpouring of tears as she fell apart. Falling to her knees, Max wailed and Kate knelt down to wrap her arms around her. "I-I-I have seen too much f-fucked up s-shit, Kate. I-I can't go on like t-this, I fucking _can't_."

"Someone call a teacher!" Dana shouted from Max's door only for Max to jerk her head up in horror.

" _No_!" Max shouted, Dana flinching at the raw way the brunette sounded. "No teachers, n-no security assholes. O-Oh… Oh _Jesus Fucking Christ_ …"

Max heard Kate's sharp intake of breath at the curse but didn't care. Bowling over, Max dry heaved with her head inches from the floor as the bile aftertaste from earlier turned into a coppery tang of her throat getting sore. Feeling more hands trying to console her, Max looked up to see Dana and Juliet joining Kate in holding onto her. Seeing the three girls starting to cry, Max felt only more miserable and caved. She couldn't keep it in; she wanted to be cold, be fucking ice so that she could avenge what was done to Rachel. She still might be able to, somehow, but Max knew that if she didn't let what she'd discovered out it would take her into a series of consequences that would end up with Chloe being further away and not closer.

"I-I need to call Chloe," Max managed to stutter, "I n-need to see her _now_."

"Okay, Max. Okay," Dana whispered soothingly, running her hand through Max's hair as the brunette took in painful-sounding gulps of air, "Jules, can we-"

"Absolutely," Juliet said as she helped Kate get Max to her feet. "Goddamn, Max. What the fuck's happened?"

When Max didn't answer, the three girls led her down the hall and out of the building. With Juliet in front, Dana to the left, and Kate to the right Max was shielded from prying eyes all the way to the parking lot just as Nathan Prescott came sauntering up the stairs leading to the quad. Something snapped in Max and the girls picked up on her seething hostility as Kate held Max back when the girl's fist tried to collide with the face of a bewildered Nathan.

" _You_! _This is your fault_!" Max screamed as the girls forced her down the stairs, Max fighting them every step of the way only to see Victoria run up to meet Nathan. Her nose taped up but surprisingly not broken, Max bared her teeth and flailed in Dana's arms, " _You stay the fuck away from him, Victoria_! _He'll drug you and do all types of weird shit_! _You hear that, Nathan?! I know! I FUCKING KNOW, YOU SICK FUCK!"_

Max was calmed down enough by the time they all reached the hospital that Kate and Dana no longer had to restrain her; her rage had turned into dry sobs, with those eventually turning into whimpering cries of "Chloe…" With Max in tow, her hand being held by Kate as Dana and Juliet walked ahead with worried glances at each other and back at an emotionally devastated Max, all four girls entered the waiting area of the hospital. Dana and Juliet approaching the counter, with Kate and Max behind, flagged down a nurse and he looked behind them to see Max.

"Hey," the nurse said, the cheerfulness in his voice sounding like it was empty, "You're the girl from earlier, right? You here to see your friend? Visiting hours aren't until after lunch, so I'm afraid you'll have to-"

"So," Dana said in a hostile voice, arms crossing over her chest as Juliet copied the action, "It's okay for straight couples to get to see each other any time when one of them is injured by if it's a _gay couple_ you balk and make excuses?"

"T-That's not what I-" the nurse raised his hands and gave them a nervous smile only to be cut off by Juliet who took Dana's lead.

"This is the type of stuff I need for my news article at Blackwell. What's your… 'Andy'? Hi, Andy. Juliet Watson. I'm the student editor for Blackwell Academy's newspaper. Did you know that alumni get electronic copies of all our articles, right? You _do_ know how many alumni donate to local establishments…like _hospitals_ , right?"

"W-What room number is h-her partner in…?" Nurse Andy asked as he brought the desk phone to his ear.

"…013," Max's voice was strained and hoarse, the brunette coughing until Kate left momentarily to return with a paper cup filled with water, "S-She's - _cough-_ in 013. Chloe Price?"

"I can get her in," Nurse Andy said hurriedly after talking with someone on the other end of the phone line, "The rest of you… You three will have to wait out here."

Sniffling as Kate led her to the opening double doors, Max spun around and hugged Kate. Clutching at her friend's cardigan, Max felt tears start well up again and she pulled back and wiped them away with a finger.

"I'm a fucking mess," Max said, a shaky chuckle escaping as she nervously looked past the doors and back to Kate, "I'm s-scared, Kate. W-What I have… It's the worst news ever and she's in a _hospital_. What the fuck am I… How about we just go-"

"Max Caulfield, you… you go down there and see your girlfriend right now. Stop this hiding. You defended me, protected me when everyone else was either scared or laughing. You go do this because you _can_ ," Kate ordered, pointing past Max and down the hall. Trying to sound bossy, Kate reemphasized her command and Max snickered before nodding reluctantly as the doors closed behind her.

The walk down the hallway was longer than Max remembered from only a few hours ago. Her throat sore and her eyes squinting from the harsh fluorescent light because they were so bloodshot, Max gulped down another mouthful of water and stopped at a water cooler to refill her paper cup. Having been noticed, a nurse started to walk towards Max only to get called away by the ward's head nurse. Seeing a kindly woman walking toward her from around a counter, Max could only nod mutely in thanks when the nurse gave her a bottle of water and politely took the paper cup away. _I have to tell Chloe. No, no I need to leave. I need to run as far away as I can and hope this shit… No. I_ need _to tell Chloe. She deserves to know, she has to. I promised her I would help, and even if it kills the both of us I will tell her. I… I just hope it doesn't kill_ us. With that last thought, Max knocked on the door leading into 013 and heard a snarky "Yeah, what?"" in reply.

"Maxaroni!" Chloe said, her face aglow as she ran across the room to hug her friend. "Dude, you weren't supposed to be here yet. I was totally going to surprise you with my getting discharged early, Max! I was… _Max_? Max, you look like hella shit. You okay?"

"…I'm really tired, Chloe. Tired of so fucking much," Max let out in a slight moan as she buried her head into Chloe's chest. "I try to be strong, I try so badly, but I can't fucking keep having shit dropped on me. I can't and I'm sorry."

"Max," Chloe leaned down in her hug to rest her chin on Max's shoulder as she rubbed the girl's back with a hand, "Max, you have nothing to be sorry about. Is this… Is this because of me…?"

"What? No!" Max pulled back in alarm, eyes widening as she brought her hands to Chloe's cheeks and gave the bluenette a loving, desperate kiss. Leaning her forehead into Chloe's, Max let out a choked whine. "…Rachel's… Rachel is…"

"…You know where Rachel is…?" Chloe asked, her voice conveying her shock as she pulled back to give Max an excited smile before finally taking in just _how_ bad Max looked. "Max, i-it's bad isn't it?"

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," Max said in a pleading voice as she wrapped her hands into the soft leather of Chloe's jacket collar, looking into the bluenette's watery eyes, "I wanted to protect you from this, avenge Rachel for you so that the burden would be mine. I-I failed myself a-and you. I-"

Max felt Chloe rush her into another, tighter embrace and felt her friend shake as Chloe began to cry. Looking out through the window to see a nurse checking in, Max shook her head when she made eye contact with the healthcare provider and ran a hand through Chloe's azure hair. Both girls crying, Max pushed herself into Chloe's hug a little more tightly and felt the bluenette wince in pain before pulling back. Letting go of Chloe's jacket, Max watched as the azure punk paced in the small room. _Chloe, please. Please look at me and tell me you're going to be okay. I need you, Chloe. I-I can't do this by myself, can't be here alone._ When Max felt her lip start to quiver, Chloe glanced over at the slight movement and put a shaky hand to Max's face.

"I… I just c-can't believe it, Max," Chloe whispered in a hollow voice, tears running down her face, "Why… Max, what kind of a world does this? I mean, who _does_ something like that, take away someone so w-wonderful and kind? Someone killed my angel, Max. R-Rachel's really gone, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Max said, her eyes full of compassion for the only girl she felt deserved it as she turned her head to kiss the open palm of Chloe's hand before placing back on her cheek. "P-Please don't leave me, Chloe. Please don't."

"Max, I am never leaving you," Chloe said, moving her hand so that she tilted Max's chin up with an index finger, "Why would you think something like that?"

"Because I'm the one who told you." _Because this is my fault._ "Because she was your angel and I will _never_ live up to that, not after five years of _nothing_." _Please forgive me, Chloe. Please._ "I l-love you so much, Chloe. I love you so fucking much it hurts and terrifies me and I don't know what I'll do if you're gone-"

Max felt Chloe's lips press into hers and she let out a shaky breath as a feeling of relief poured out from within her. Tearlessly sobbing again, Max felt Chloe press their lips together even more intensely than the first time when the sobbing started as the bluenette fought against Max's despair to end the crying. Moaning a little as Chloe brought a hand down to the small of Max's back, Max pulled back and looked at Chloe's tearful, scared eyes.

"C-Chloe, _why did you do that_?" Max asked, her face a mask of confusion. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I fucking need you right back, you stupid nerd," Chloe leaned into Max, "Because this town keeps taking and I only h-have you left to give and I won't, Max. I won't give you up. The world can eat a dick because I fucking won't give you up. You're my best friend, and I'd like to get a chance at maybe more someday soon. Don't you dare let this be it, Max Caulfield. Don't you _fucking dare_."

Sitting in the bathroom of Chloe's hospital room, Max ran her hands through her hair as she sat on the toilet lid. Having to do a final cursory exam and fill out her discharge paperwork, Chloe had promised to be back shortly and Max had taken that promise along with a heated kiss. What had been a curious, amazing development the night before was now a desperate need; Max couldn't leave this Chloe behind any more than Chloe could leave her. _I've been sitting on the fence about this since I got here but I can't be in two places at once, can't think of one time while living another._

Max pulled out the photo she'd found the first morning in this new world, Chloe still being fast asleep in her bed at the time. A battered Polaroid photo, the white material faded and stained a little with what looked to Max like coffee, a 13 year-old Max and her parents looked back at her with cheerful smiles as the young girl gave the peace sign with a toothy grin. Pressing the photo to her forehead, wiping snot from her nose with a wad of toilet paper she'd already been using, Max stifled the start of another round of crying and just shook as she took in forced, measured breaths. _It looks the same because it really_ is _the same. Same photo, same exact fucking photo._ Pulling out her phone, Max dialed a number that she had burned into her mind over and over. After two rings, Max heard a familiar click and knew the voicemail was kicking in.

" _Hey hey, this is Rachel coming to you live from, well, my phone_ ," the message said with an intermittent giggle as Max felt the breath hitch in her chest and she fought not to bawl for what felt like the billionth time to her. _I get into all this crazy shit and I'm a goddamn waterfall. Ugh, I suck so bad. "Don't cry, Max. Max Caulfield doesn't cry." Uh, yeah. Right._ " _I hope you leave a message, because if you don't you're shit outta luck. I'm likely hella busy, so I hope you do. I…oh, for fuck's sake put that down it's not a-"_

- _BEEP_ -

"H-Hey," Max said in soft voice, thankful to whoever was listening that Rachel's family here left her phone line up and running, "You'll never get this, not really, but I just wanted to tell you I love you _so much_ and I'm sorry. I'm a selfish bitch but there's a girl here who needs me. Ugh, this is so fucking corny, I know, but she actually _completes_ me like I hope I do her. You are my sister… You're my sister and I'll always love you. I-I'm sorry."

- _BEEP_ -

" _To delete this message and try again, press one. To-"_

Max ended the call and scrolled down the phone's list of contacts until she came to a number labeled "Home". _I need somebody, somebody who will tell me what I should do and give me some certainty. Please pick up the goddamn phone…_

"Hello?" a warm, gruff voice asked over the line. "Max? I see the caller ID, kiddo. Max?"

"H-Hey Dad," Max blurted out, a rough-sounding laugh escaping the back of her throat, "Oh, uh, sorry 'bout that. I just called to say 'hey'."

"Hey yourself, punkin'," Ryan Caulfield said with a chortle, "Your mom told me what happened in school the other day. You really pop another student in the face?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, I did," Max said, wishing she had a cigarette or a joint. Letting out a quiet breath, Max waited for Ryan Caulfield to respond.

"Well… Did this student deserve it, at least?"

"She was hassling a friend, put up a video online that-"

"I don't need you to go into specifics, Max. If you feel it was really the right thing to do then I got your back with Mom, kiddo. 'No Regrats'."

"Ugh, dads aren't allowed to try and be 'hip with the youngsters', _Dad_ ," Max said with a hoarse, dry giggle.

"What are you _really_ calling home for, Max? Not that I'm not happy you are. I miss my daughter, but you are obviously callin' for a reason."

"Y-Yeah, I am," Max wiped at her face with the back of her free hand, the dampness from crying earlier leaving her feeling like a mess. "Dad, if you like two people and they… and they're so alike it's as if they were _twins_ , how do you choose who to stay with?"

"Wow, kiddo. That's a tough one," Ryan said, her voice taking on a more serious tone, "How do you feel about them? Individually, I mean."

"I've fallen pretty hard for both. One is easy to be around, and I laugh a bit more with her. The other fits me, like so much of what we've been through is similar that I'll pick up on what she needs and she'll do the same with me. Ugh, this is all so damn confusing!"

"…' _She_ ', huh?" Ryan asked, the question more to himself by the sound of it than to Max, "Well, I guess the question is who do you feel you can be yourself around the most. Not how you present yourself. You, you mother, and I all know that you're not the quiet girl under all that shyness, Max. You want to tell me who these ladies are that have caught my baby girl's eye?"

"I'm not a baby," Max said, pouting on instinct at the word only to snort when she caught herself, "I'm _not_. Um, the girl… _one_ of the girls is Chloe. Chloe Price."

"Oh, Chloe!" Ryan said and Max winced for a second and switched the phone to speaker when her father laughed directly into his phone, "Oops, my turn to be sorry for that. You loved that girl, I remember, you were… you were so torn up when we had to leave. Max, is the reason you were so sad then over leaving because you had feelings for Chloe?"

"…Yeah…," Max answered reluctantly, putting her head into her hands as she leaned her elbows against her knees. "Yeah, Dad. That's why. That's why I never called or wrote, either. I was such a chickenshit, I didn't even fess up until a couple days ago. Chloe's had so much going on, so much has happened to her all these years… All I really want, being back here, is to just protect her from every shitty thing that comes her way and love her."

"Love? Ooh, feel sorry for you, Maxie. Young love is the strongest and the most dangerous, but if you and Chloe have got the guts you'll push through if it's mean to be. Sweetheart, you are one of the most kind-hearted people I know," Ryan said, his words getting Max to look up from her hands as she listened intently to the encouragement coming over the line, "I am so proud to have you as a daughter, and your mom is just as proud. Hey, if Joyce is okay with it how about you bring Chloe up some time for the weekend and we'll all go out for dinner. Chloe still into pizza like crazy?"

"I'm pretty sure she's secretly a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle," Max said, choking back a laugh, "That sounds nice, though. When everything here is f-finished I will most def ask Joyce. I-I need to get going, Dad. I love you."

"Love you too, Maxie. Hope to hear from you soon, and try to _not_ punch another student. You're always welcome to come back home for school but I'm guessin' you'll want to tread lightly for Chloe's sake. Say hello to her for me and your mom, okay? Talk to you later, kiddo. Bye."

"Chloe, please forgive me," Max mouthed silently to a girl who was faraway as put away her phone and pulled out the disposable lighter she'd found earlier and brought a tiny flame to life. Having covered the smoke alarm with a wet washcloth a few minutes earlier, Max's hands shook as got up slowly and walked over to the sink. Max put the picture just over the small flame and thought _It's so small_ as the tiny fire seemed to almost quiver under the photo. _It's as hesitant about this as I am. Maybe… Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe I should-_

The flame caught, and Max held her breath as curling wafts of toxic smoke began to float into the air. The picture seemed to shake for a second, Max realized she was focusing on it too much. Dropping the photo into the sink, Max watched the photo distort and bubble, watched the faces of herself and her parents turn a yellowish color before melting entirely into a smear of nothing. Leaning against the wall opposite the small sink, Max put a hospital towel to her mouth and nose to watch safely as the frozen instant of time that had been her parents and herself from before the crash turned into nothing but melted photo material and dark grey smoke. Max watched the remnants sizzle and instinct took over; her hand raised, Max rewound time and watched the photo expand and uncurl, color seeming to spill out from the blackened pools and distorted forms until it was restored. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Max thought as she opened the door to find Chloe leaning next to the door frame, an indecipherable look in her eyes. Her lips pulled down in a frown, arms crossed and her beanie tugged down almost to her eyes, Chloe was in her jacket and dressed to leave when she looked over at Max. The wounded look in Chloe's eyes nearly broke Max's heart. _How much did you hear, Chloe?_

"You never called or wrote…because you've had feelings for me for the past five years," Chloe stated, her whispery voice sounding distant. Max stood motionless with her hand still resting on the doorknob. "You…You've loved me for five years and never said a word to me."

"Chloe, I-" Max tried to speak but was cut off by Chloe raising an open palm to silence the brunette.

"Five years. M-Max, were you scared of me? Was that it? _Is_ that it?" Chloe's voice took on a slight pleading tone.

"I was scared of you being scared, Chloe," Max remembered what it was like, leaving Arcadia Bay 5 years ago and struggling with the phone whenever she held it with the Prices' home number dialed in. "God, I was so fucking terrified of losing you I never-"

"Just stop. Max, please just stop," Chloe moved over to the hospital bed and patted at the space next to her. When Max apprehensively took her seat, Chloe spoke while keeping her head down as she fidgeted with her hands.

"You could've fucking called, Max. I would have listened, y'know."

"Are you kidding? I practically worshiped you back then, my feelings were so strong. I was scared of myself, Chloe. Not just of your rejection but how strongly I felt."

"If they were so strong then how did I never, not _once_ , pick up on them? God, was I the only fucking one-"

"No one knew, Chloe. I think Joyce might have suspected before I moved, but she never said anything so I don't really know. I was over all the time, even when either of us or both of us were sick. I remember she'd sometimes give me this look and I would just freeze up, worried fucking silly that I had slipped up. No, to answer your question again, nobody knew."

"People tell me _I'm_ a punk. Goddamnit, Max, you could have… I wish you would have told me…," Chloe looked up at her and the watery state of those blue eyes looking at her made Max want to both die and scream out loud how much she loved the girl sitting next to her. "I was right here, Max. I was here and y-you, _ugh_ , I don't even know what the fuck to say anymore. First you leave, then Rachel comes along. Rachel disappears and you not only come back but have evidently pined for me for-fucking-ever. I swear I cannot win. Ever."

"There _is_ something you could say," Max said, her voice testing the words as they came, "There is an answer to a question I've had for five years, Chloe. Only you can give me an answer, so only you get this question."

"Max…"

"I know it's a shit time to ask," Max put a hand on Chloe's knee and gave the bluenette the best smile she could manage, "I'm not asking for the world, Chloe. I'm asking for you to just answer a simple, well, I guess it isn't a 'simple' question. Look, when all this is fucking done, this hella nasty-ass business, may I ask you my question?"

"Max," Chloe pulled Max's hand off her knee and held onto it, looking at small hand in her own blue-nailed one, "You've waited for five fucking years. I loved Rachel, yeah, but she is… _was_ my friend for a while. She wasn't into me like that. I miss her a fuck-ton, sure, but I don't love her like that anymore. Not really. Max, what I'm _trying_ to say… Max, I'm not the fucking mushy type so can we just go and-"

" _Chloe. Elizabeth. Price,_ " Max said, the intensity behind each word met with Max holding Chloe in place by not only refusing to let go of her friend's hand but keeping it positioned exactly where it is despite Chloe trying to stand up. "You better fucking finish whatever the hell it was you were saying. I swear to Dog, if you don't-"

"I _love_ you, okay?" Chloe blurted out, her face turned away from Max's and Max found herself struck dumb from Chloe's quick admission.

"Chloe" was all Max could manage to say as a reply, thought almost escaping her entirely. Bringing a trembling hand to Chloe's cheek, Max gently cupped Chloe's face and brought the other girl around so that they were looking right at each other. "You really love me, like love-love?"

"Yes, like love-love," Chloe said, smiling in embarrassment only to have a giggle escape as she leaned her forehead against Max's. "Goddamnit, Max, why do you have to take so long for shit like this? D-Don't you know I've been waiting for five years, too?"

Max brought a hand to her face, a horrified look in her eyes that was quickly brought to ruin when Chloe leaned in and kissed Max on the lips. Not a long, wanting kiss like the previous day; the kiss Chloe gave Max now was sweet and tender, the right amount of force to balance out Max's as the brunette pushed back by leaning into Chloe. Despite the kiss being short-lived, both girls panted when the simultaneously pulled their heads back and looked at each other with wondrous eyes. Biting her lip, Max slid her hand forward across the small gap between her thigh and Chloe's to find Chloe's own hand meeting her halfway. Hesitant for a split-second, Max kept her eyes trained on Chloe's until her head was resting on the other girl's shoulder.

"Is this okay?" Max asked, her voice sounding meeker to her than it ever had before. _You fucking win, Chloe. You happy? You motherfucking win. Your sickeningly shy and cutesy nerd is still right here._

"Max, we were making out last night…," Chloe said with a hint of sarcasm.

"This is different. It means more."

"…I guess it does, and yeah, it's okay. Can you promise me something, though? Before _we_ get too far ahead into this, can we resolve this shit with Rachel? I'm not going to be able to move forward with anything until this shit's done."

"I can do that, I promise," Max pulled her head up to kiss Chloe on the cheek, "But you need to promise not to fucking pull away _or_ push me away. I expect we'll both try, so we'll have to watch each other for that."

"Deal. So, you and me?" Chloe slid off the bed to see Max give her a wry smirk.

"Actually, there're some people in the waiting room and I think we could use all the help we're gonna get, Che. Neither of us is in any state to go at it alone or even with the two of us together. If we're going to do this, we need to be smart. I freaked out on Nathan some, so he's going to know something is up and we need backup. The crazy he's wielding, fucking psycho can't be working alone."

"A team, then?" Chloe asked, and Max felt butterflies in her chest at the crooked grin that adorned her love's face as she pointed at Max with finger pistols. "Check it, Max. 'The Eyyy Team'."

"Get it? Tension diffuser? …Max?"

"…Goddamnit, Chloe."

 **Author's Note –**

 **Boo-yah! Get it? I'm like an angsty punk ghost?**

 **How about that chapter, eh? Eh? *nudge wink nudge***

 **I wanted to explore with this chapter just how fragile Max is despite the hard "outer shell". She's endured a lot in her life and despite being in a timeline that is relatively brighter in regards to her past she's living in a present that has some seemingly unavoidable obstacles set out for her. Also, I wanted a budding Pricefield romance between the two punks to have a more realistic tonality than some of my other stories: kisses, hand-holding, fights, and generally being assholes to each other at times.**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you later!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**

 **PS – I feel like someone should play "All Along The Watchtower" the closer we get to having a Polarized teaser trailer…**


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